Holding forums for an associate dean for the med school doesn't makes sense
Central Michigan University is holding its first forum for the medical school’s associate dean of student affairs today.
This may come as a surprise to some — neither a medical school dean, nor a provost, is in place. In fact, searches on both still need to be conducted.
And to make matters a bit worse, the groundbreaking for the medical school is Feb. 18, the same day the Board of Trustees meets.
Doesn’t this picture seem a little backwards? Finding a dean is the first priority when it comes to the medical school. It would have been wise to reschedule the associate dean forums until candidates know who their boss would be.
The finalists — Robert Satonik, Stephen Peterson, and Mala R. Chinoy — will each speak in the coming weeks, starting with Satonik, a temporary faculty member in CMU’s physician assistant program, today. Interim Provost Gary Shapiro will decide who gets the position after the forums.
CMU was banking on having a medical school dean in place when moving forward with the associate dean forums. But Cam Enarson, who had been serving as the school’s interim dean, turned down the position due to family reasons in January.
There has been no announcement yet of who else the university has in mind for the position, leaving the CMU community clueless as to where leadership will fall.
The medical school is only gaining a false sense of development by bringing in associate dean finalists without filling more important positions — or even naming finalists for them. The school is currently lacking the leadership and vision needed to make the medical school viable institution.
As already mentioned, with the dean and provost positions still open, the associate dean won’t know who his or her boss will be. Given that the associate dean has the option to leave if there is a disagreement with the dean, CMU may find itself in the same situation it was in when Enarson left. Internal conflicts could arise before the school is even built. A shaky foundation is the last thing the medical school needs right now.
The university should postpone the associate deans’ forums out of courtesy for the applicants. Chances are, these individuals would be more comfortable considering the position when they have a clear idea of what the expectations will be. Despite being scheduled for a visit to CMU, it is more important for the candidates to know who they report to before they are set on applying.
At the very least, there should be one viable candidate for the dean position. The provost and vice provost will understandably take longer, since filling those positions will take a nationwide search and a lot of time.
Hopefully, the university will hire an associate dean that is committed to the medical school. It cannot afford to keep losing leadership with the groundbreaking eight days away.
