Dear colleagues:

I’m writing to provide you with an update on the search for the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Provost Arden and I want to be transparent and keep you informed throughout this search process.

The position was posted this week and advertisements will be placed in the Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education along with several other publications and websites relevant to the position. The initial charge meeting for the nomination committee was held on November 11.

The university seeks a leader committed to: expanding the college’s foundation of groundbreaking research and scholarship; promoting a strong reputation of service, outreach and extension; and boldly opening up the college to additional areas of national renown. This leader must understand the college’s role in creating social and economic prosperity for the state, nation and world through agriculture and life sciences discovery, learning and engagement.

We also seek to attract and review a diverse candidate pool. The committee received training on conducting an equitable and inclusive search process and has been tasked with reaching out to colleagues for input on diverse candidates. I encourage you to share the job prospectus and send recommendations on potential ideal candidates for recruitment.

The committee will meet in early January to further discuss recruitment as well as recommendations provided at the listening sessions to ensure a robust applicant pool.

The provost and I value your input on this search. We will post this and other updates on the search website, which can be found here or at go.ncsu.edu/cals-search.

Sincerely,

Steve Lommel
Associate Dean for Research, CALS
Chair, Nomination Committee