Editor’s note: The following message was shared with the College of Liberal Arts by Interim Provost Janice Nerger.

Dear Colleagues:

I am writing to share with you that Dean Ben Withers has accepted the position of dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University. He will start at Iowa State on Monday, April 15. I want to share my gratitude for Ben’s service and contributions as dean, including his commitment to scholarship and student success, and his passion for extolling the importance of a liberal arts education for the betterment of humanity and the world.

We will conduct a national search for the next dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and we fully expect to attract excellent candidates from both within CSU and across the country. We will share more information in the coming weeks on the search process and forming a search committee. The appointment of an interim dean will be contingent upon the search timeline.

Ben has served as dean of our College of Liberal Arts since 2016, joining CSU from the University of Kentucky. Under his leadership, the college has hired more than 100 faculty, the number of undergraduate student majors has increased by more than 30%, and the college achieved record-setting fundraising levels including reaching $20 million in 2020. Ben is known for his strong commitment to diversity and inclusion and his dedication to student and faculty success. He is credited with successfully promoting the need for and importance of revitalizing the Clark Building which is scheduled to begin in earnest before the end of the year. Ben attributes the success of the project in part to campus leaders recognizing the importance of the College of Liberal Arts to CSU and its mission.

Ben also has played a prominent leadership role in advancing the Year of Democracy, the 2023-24 thematic year for the University’s initiative, centered around strengthening our democracy and civic engagement. Ben contributed a CSU Magazine article on the topic this fall titled The Building Blocks of American Democracy in which he wrote: “In the College of Liberal Arts, we are actively teaching, researching and encouraging curiosity, thoughtful reflection and analysis … The 21st century brings new challenges, and one of the most important values we can instill in our students is the importance of democracy.”

CSU has been fortunate to have Ben’s steady and thoughtful leadership. Please join me in thanking him and wishing him continued success in his future role at Iowa State University.

Sincerely,

Jan

Janice Nerger, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs