WEB UPDATE
June 14, 5:51 p.m.
Dean of Graduate Studies Carol Folt started her two-year term as acting Dean of the Faculty Monday, allowing for a review of faculty governance before a new dean is chosen in 2006.
Folt has held the office before, acting as interim dean of the faculty from July 1 through Sept. 1, 2002, when former Dean of the Faculty Michael Gazzaniga took over the position. Folt has also served as the associate dean of the faculty for interdisciplinary programs.
According to Wright, Folt's tenure as dean will be marked by priorities including the expansion of the faculty, faculty compensation and facilities in certain departments.
"Arts and Sciences priorities remain central to the upcoming [capital] campaign and include further expansion of the number of faculty, competitive faculty compensation packages, increased support for teaching and scholarly activities and new facilities for the life sciences and the arts. Dean Folt and her colleagues have embraced these priorities and will continue to move them forward with energy and creativity," Wright wrote in an e-mail to the College's arts and sciences faculty members.
Wright made the decision to appoint Folt after consulting with several faculty committees, namely the Committee Advisory to the President and the Committee on Organization and Policy, which recommended Folt serve a two-year term so that it could review and discuss the role of the dean before searching for someone to fill the position.
Such discussion was made necessary after Gazzaniga abruptly resigned at the end of Spring term following a contentious faculty vote about his role as dean. Folt acknowledged the importance of the Committee on Organization and Policy's review in an official statement upon her appointment.
"The Committee on Organization and Policy will continue its review of faculty governance and the role of the dean, and focus on the process of evaluating the faculty governance structure. I know that we the faculty have deep respect for our colleagues in other departments and programs, and that we share the desire to move ahead with Dartmouth's goals as a leading academic institution," Folt said.
Folt is a biology professor, specializing in aquatic environmental science. She has published more than 50 articles on the subject, along with a book and edited volume, and she has received numerous grants including funds from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Folt is also the associate director of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences and of the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Research Program.
In his e-mail announcement, Wright called Folt a dedicated teacher and mentor, who has advised more than 100 students in her laboratory. Folt also played a critical role in founding and developing the Women in Science Project.
In addition, Folt was the 1991 recipient of the College's J. Kenneth Huntington Memorial Prize for Teaching and will serve as the first-year lecturer for the class of 2008 during their orientation.
"I look forward to working with my faculty colleagues and the senior administration in advancing the work of the faculty ... I am confident that the faculty have as their highest priority their teaching and scholarship, and we look forward to advancing those priorities in the coming years," Folt said.
Aside from the transition from Gazzaniga to Folt, the current associate deans of the faculty will all remain in their current positions, including Martin Wybourne, who will remain associate dean for the sciences for a transitional period before assuming the role of vice provost. Mathematics professor Daniel Rockmore, who Gazzaniga had appointed to fill Wybourne's position, has withdrawn his name from consideration for associate dean.
"We are extremely fortunate to have such a strong and experienced team in place. They are committed to my goals for strengthening the faculty and will build upon Dean Michael Gazzaniga's accomplishments," Wright said.
