by Steve Stoner - The Metropolitan

Metro’s Dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences Joan Foster will be interim vice-president of academic affairs, replacing the outgoing Cheryl Norton.

Dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences Joan M. Foster has been appointed the new interim vice president of academic affairs, a position Cheryl Norton resigned from earlier this fall.

Foster will take over the position beginning Nov. 1.

“I’d like to continue all the good things that Norton has done and then try to move forward with any of the help students may need,” Foster said. “I think improvement of programs is the main way we can help students.”

Metro Interim President Ray Kieft announced his decision Tuesday, Oct. 14, based on nominations from constituencies of the college.

Norton announced her resignation in mid- September explaining her desire to look for a presidential position at a University or a College.

This resignation fell months after former Metro President Sheila Kaplan suddenly resigned leaving the college in search of a permanent president.

Norton, who worked side-by-side with Kaplan, was nominated by Student Trustee Harris Singer for the presidential position, but Metro’s board decided to appoint Kieft as interim president instead.

After the loss of Norton, Foster estimated about 15 people nominated her for the position.
This is not the first time Foster has been appointed to this position, which will increase her salary from about $115,000 to about $130,000. Norton’s annual salary was $161,922.
During the 1995-1996 academic year, Foster served as interim provost and vice president of academic affairs.

In this new position, Foster will serve as Metro’s chief academic officer for a year until a new president of the college comes into office.

Norton said she supports Foster taking over her position.

“Foster has done this position before, she knows the college and will be a great support for the faculty, staff and students,” she said.

Foster said the vice president’s office will work very closely with Singer.

“She’s very well known across the college, she has a lot of contacts and relationships. She’ll be able to do these things because of her understanding of how the college operates,” Singer said. “Also, it’s just an interim position and so there’s only so much an interim can do in creating change.”

Interim Assistant Dean of LAS Tara Tull, who has worked with Foster for the past 13 years, said her concern for students also makes her an excellent choice for the new interim vice president of academic affairs.

“She’s very student-centered,” Tull said. “She definitely keeps students at the heart of her vision.”

Kieft is currently requesting nominations to replace Foster as interim Dean of LAS.
All nominations must be e-mailed to Kieft by this Friday, and the will then make a decision soon after.

Interim Associate Dean Ken Keller is one candidate to replace Foster and said he has had several people ask him if they could nominate him, but has no idea of how many people have actually done so.

To qualify for the position, you must have a Ph.D., which Keller and many department chairs have. If appointed, he said it would be difficult to replace Foster.

“With (Foster) going to the vice president’s office, we lose what I call institutional memory in LAS,” he said.

Foster, who came to Metro in 1987 as associate dean of LAS and was appointed dean of the school in 1994, said she would like to work with Kieft on task forces for the school, four of which she said he has already set up.

They include curriculum, budget and re-appointment and tenure and promotion.

Foster said as of now she does not think she will apply for the permanent position when a new president takes office, she imagines a new president will conduct a national search for a new VPAA.

Singer said Foster’s new position won’t bring too much change, not only because it’s a temporary position, but because of the attitudes of those on campus.

“Right now most personnel in the college are concerned with keeping things the way they are and finding slight improvements through getting additional funding,” he said.

Keller said that in his opinion, it’s important that the VPAA has a strong background in LAS because that’s where the general education courses and programs originate.

“Working with the LAS chairs is a little bit like herding cats,” Keller said. “She’s done a really good job over the years keeping people informed and allowing a shared governance process. I imagine that’s the approach she’ll take to the VPAA’s office.”

Foster agreed, and promises to maintain a level of honesty and trust, which she said she thinks is vital.

“Building an academic community with all the groups (at the school), with honesty and trust, is important,” she said. “It starts with the trust of the faculty in the administration and academic affairs.”

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