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Four finalists named for arts and sciences dean

March 5, 2010

KALAMAZOO--Two internal candidates and two from outside the campus community have been named finalists in the search for a new dean of the Western Michigan University College of Arts and Sciences.

Each finalist will make a public presentation on campus this month.

March 22, 4 p.m., Fetzer Center, Kirsch Auditorium
Dr. Alexander J. Enyedi, senior associate dean of the WMU College of Arts and Sciences and professor of biological sciences.

March 24, 4 p.m., Fetzer Center, Kirsch Auditorium
Dr. Scott W. Wood, dean of the College of Science at the University of Idaho and professor of geochemistry.

March 25, 4 p.m., Room 2028, Brown Hall
Dr. Susan R. Stapleton, associate dean of the WMU College of Arts and Sciences and professor of chemistry/biochemistry and biological sciences.

March 29, 4 p.m., Fetzer Center, Kirsch Auditorium
Dr. James H. Hageman, associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Colorado Denver and professor of chemistry.

The person selected as dean will replace Dr. Thomas Kent, who has served in that position for the past six years and announced earlier this year that he will step down and return to the faculty.

WMU's College of Arts and Sciences is the University's largest college. Some 7,500 students are enrolled in degree programs in 26 departments and schools that are part of the college.

Complete information on each candidate can be found at wmich.edu/provost/announcements.

Finalists for Dean of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Alexander J. Enyedi has served as senior associate dean since 2008 and was first named an associate dean of the college in 2004. In his current role, he is responsible for budget, planning, personnel and research. A WMU faculty member since 1993, he served as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences from 2001 until his appointment as associate dean. He is a specialist in plant physiology and an active researcher who has received numerous grants and published more than 30 abstracts and journal articles on his work. He also was the recipient of a 2000 WMU Alumni Teaching Excellence Award. Enyedi came to WMU from Rutgers University's Center for Agricultural Molecular Biology, where he served as a post-doctoral research associate from 1991 to 1993. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Guelph in 1981 and 1985, respectively and a doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1991.

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Dr. James H. Hageman began serving as vice chancellor for research at the University of Colorado Denver in 2008, after serving as interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences there in 2007-08 and associate vice chancellor for research in 2006-07. Prior to that, he was dean of the College of Graduate Studies and vice provost for research at Central Michigan University for six years. His background also includes posts as head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at New Mexico State University and founding director of the graduate program in molecular biology at NMSU. He is a graduate of England's University of Bristol, and he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana in 1964 and a doctoral degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1968. A biochemist researcher and lecturer, he spent two years at Yale University as an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow studying microbial genetics.

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Dr. Susan R. Stapleton has served as associate dean since 2007, and her areas of responsibility include oversight of curriculum, assessment, accreditation, enrollment and diversity programs. She joined the WMU faculty in 1989 and has conducted extensive federally funded research in biochemistry with grants from such agencies as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Diabetes Research and Education Foundation. Her focus has been on gene expression and understanding diabetes and insulin resistance. As a member of the WMU faculty, she has served as a visiting scientist at Pharmacia Corp., and since 1997, she also has been director of co-op and internship opportunities in chemistry. In addition, Stapleton's background includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Iowa and American Heart Association and NIH postdoctoral fellowships at Case Western Reserve University. She earned a bachelor's degree from Juniata College in 1979 and a doctorate from Miami University in 1983.

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Dr. Scott W. Wood has been at the University of Idaho since 1992. He was appointed dean of the College of Science in 2008, after serving for a year as interim dean and for a year as associate dean. In addition to his position as a UI professor of geochemistry, he also is an adjunct professor of environmental studies. Wood has served as a visiting scientist at both Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories. A widely published researcher in such areas as the thermodynamics, kinetics and molecular mechanisms of water-rock interactions, he is special publications editor and a member of the board of directors of the Geochemical Society. His background also includes a faculty position at McGill University, a research fellowship at the University of Minnesota, and teaching and research assistantships at Princeton. He earned a bachelor's degree at Hamilton College in 1980 and master's and doctoral degrees from Princeton University in 1982 and 1985, respectively.

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Media contact: Cheryl Roland, (269) 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu

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