Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs
To the Skidmore Community:
I write to share news that I reported at the September faculty meeting: Beau Breslin,
Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, will leave his administrative
post as of January 1, 2018. Beau has graciously agreed to stay on through 2017 in
order to complete some key projects related to the Center for Integrated Sciences,
participate in a large number of tenure decisions next fall, and continue work on
the General Education curriculum renewal. He will take a well-deserved sabbatical
in 2018–19 and then rejoin the Political Science Department in September 2019.
I accepted Beau’s decision with reluctance. He has been—and will continue to be—a
strong voice for academic life throughout the College, an advocate for our faculty,
and a community leader. With six years of dedicated service in this role and four
in previous administrative duties, he has been away from his teaching and research
for ten years now, and I know that he misses being in the classroom with our students.
I have discussed this transition with the chairs of key faculty committees, including
the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) and the Committee on Appointments, Promotions,
and Tenure (CAPT), as well as the vice chair of the Institutional Policy and Planning
Committee (IPPC). We will begin a national search next fall, and I will work through
the appropriate governance channels on the appointment of an Interim Dean/Vice President
for the spring of 2018 and on other matters relating to this search.
I appreciate that Beau will continue his stellar administrative service for the next
three semesters, and I am equally pleased that he will continue to be an invaluable
advisor to me and members of the President’s Cabinet during this time. We are very
grateful for all that he has done in support of Skidmore in this important role.
In due course, we will have the opportunity to celebrate Beau’s many accomplishments,
but I believe it is appropriate to inform the community of his decision now, so that
we can, with his involvement, make plans for this important transition.
Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas
as we move forward. Thank you for your attention.