As announced over the summer, American University is opening a national search for the next dean of the School of Communication. We have selected WittKieffer, an experienced search firm with a well-respected education practice, to support our efforts.

At this time, I invite all members of the AU community—including faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students—to submit nominations or self-nominations for the search committee to Sara Biggs at sbiggs@american.edu by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 14.  

The nominations will be shared with the SOC search formation committee, which will select three faculty members to participate. Then, together with SOC and the Faculty Senate leadership, we will assemble the remaining membership of the search committee to ensure that it is diverse in representation and able to effectively balance the concerns of the many stakeholders affected by this important hire.

I’m also pleased to report that Leena Jayaswal, professor and interim associate dean for faculty affairs in SOC, has agreed to chair the committee. Please join me in thanking her for serving in this capacity.

Should you have questions about the call for nominations or dean search process, I encourage you to reach out to me any time.