Editor’s note: The message below was sent on Feb. 7 by Provost and Executive Vice President Marion Underwood

Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to share that a search committee has been appointed to begin a national search for our next Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, a vitally important role for CSU. The committee will be chaired by Karen Estlund, Dean of the CSU Libraries.

Economics Professor Elissa Braunstein will serve as interim dean effective Feb. 19, 2024. Dr. Braunstein will succeed Dean Ben Withers, who has accepted the position of Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University.

The full search committee comprises:   

Chair

Karen Estlund – Professor and Dean, CSU Libraries

Committee Members 

Dan Beachy-Quick  – University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Professor of English 
Catherine DiCesare – Associate Professor of Art History and Associate Curator of the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art
Ellie Light – Assistant Dean for Student Success and Senior Instructor, Communications Studies
Emily Morgan – Director of Dance and Associate Professor of Dance
Emily Reese – Student Representative, Department of Sociology
Guy Numa – Associate Professor of Economics and Director of Graduate Studies
Kelly McGregor – Academic Success Coordinator, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, International Studies and Political Science
Carmen Martin Quijada – Assistant Professor of Spanish
Kevin Weaver – Managing Director of Development, College of Liberal Arts
Kyle Saunders – Professor of Political Science
Samuel Tham – Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Communication
Sushmita Chatterjee – Professor and Chair of Ethnic Studies
Tara Opsal – Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Sociology
Wes Scharf – Director of Finance and Administration, College of Liberal Arts

Support 

Claire Clemens – Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Human Resources
Lani Williams – Assistant to the Dean of Libraries

Equal Opportunity Coordinator 

Becca McCarty – Senior Human Resources Manager, College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Office

The committee has begun drafting a position description and job prospectus, and they will be sharing further information with the campus community in the coming weeks, including a search timeline. A search website is under construction and will be hosted on the Provost’s home page and linked to the President’s Office “Work with Us” page.

I am grateful to Dr. Estlund and other committee members for their service and commitment in recruiting outstanding internal and external candidates for this role. We anticipate having a new College of Liberal Arts Dean announced in early summer. CSU faculty and staff are invited to send nominations of potential candidates directly to Dr. Estlund at csu_cladeansearch@colostate.edu.

Sincerely,

Marion

Marion K. Underwood
Provost and Executive Vice President