College of Liberal Arts dean finalists named

Four finalists are vying to become the next dean of the College of Liberal Arts at SIUC.

The candidates – George Arasimowicz, Dorothy W. K. Ige, Arved Larsen and interim Liberal Arts Dean Alan C. Vaux – will visit campus between today, April 18, and May 9. Specific itineraries remain to be finalized for two of the candidates.

The candidates will meet with chairs and directors in the College of Liberal Arts, top University officials and other members of the campus community. Each candidate also will participate in a presentation and open forum to discuss, "Educational Challenges for Liberal Arts in the 21st Century."

The new dean will replace Shirley Clay Scott, who last fall became dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Hunter College, part of the City University of New York.

Vaux, the internal candidate, begins interviews today, April 18. His presentation and open forum is set for 3-3:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, in the University Museum Auditorium.

Ige will visit campus April 25-26. Her presentation and open forum is set for 3-3:45 p.m. April 25 in the University Museum Auditorium.

Arasimowicz will visit May 1-2; Larsen will be on campus May 8-9.

Here is a brief look at each of the candidates:

• Vaux, interim dean since last year, joined the faculty in 1980 as an assistant professor of psychology. He became an associate professor in 1986, a clinical associate in 1989 and a full professor in 1993. He chaired the psychology department from 1996 to 2004, when he became the associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

Vaux also served as director of Applied Research Consultants from 1987 to 1991. He has consulted for a variety of University projects, as well as for outside agencies ranging from the Carbondale Police Department to NASA.

He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, in 1973, as well as a doctorate in psychology in 1976. He earned a master of arts degree and a doctoral degree in social ecology from the University of California at Irvine in 1978 and 1980, respectively.

• Ige has been a professor of communication at Indiana University Northwest since 1991, and served as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs from 2004 to 2005. Previous positions include dean of that school's College of Arts and Sciences and as associate dean for faculty and students. She has also been the director and chair of the Department of Communication. Indiana University Northwest enrolls about 5,140 students, primarily undergraduates.

She was a member of the graduate faculty and an assistant professor at Bowling Green State University, and served as director of the speech education program. She became a tenure-track professor at Indiana University Northwest in 1991, and served as the interim chair of the Minority Studies department.

She earned her bachelor's degree in speech education from Southeast Missouri State University in 1971. She earned a master's degree in speech communication from Central Missouri State in 1973, and a doctorate in speech from Ohio State University in 1980.

• Arasimowicz is the founding dean of the Division of Arts, Media and Communications at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. The Christian liberal arts college enrolls approximately 2,400 undergraduate and 550 graduate students.

Arasimowicz served as coordinator of several music programs at the University of Alberta, and at University of Colorado at Denver, where he chaired the department. He came to Wheaton College in 1997 as the dean of the Conservatory of Music. He is the editor of "ex tempore," a scholarly music journal.

Arasimowicz earned an honors bachelor's degree from Carleton University in 1976 and a bachelor's of music degree from the University of Toronto that same year. He earned his master's degree in 1979 from McGill University and his doctoral degree from the University of California at San Diego in 1982.

• Larsen is a professor in the School of Music at Illinois State University. Previous positions at ISU include serving as associate dean of fine arts from 2000 to 2002, and as chair of the music department. ISU enrolls about 20,265 students, approximately 17,830 of them undergraduates.

Larsen joined the faculty at Paine College in Augusta, Ga., in 1978 as a professor of music. He became the associate dean and a professor at the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam, and joined Illinois State University in 1990 as the chairman of the department.

Larsen earned a bachelor's of music education from Murray State University in 1969. He earned his master's degree in music from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C., in 1974 and a doctorate in musical history and theory from that university in 1979.

- Andrea Hahn