The College of Communication and Creative Arts (CCCA) selected Dr. Sanford Tweedie as its latest interim dean.
The need for an interim dean arose as present dean Lorin Arnold stepped down to accept a position as provost at the State University of New York, New Paltz. Tweedie will begin his new position on July 1, 2016.
Tweedie will occupy this position for one year. The CCCA hopes to elect a permanent dean by July 2017. Nominations for the interim dean came from the candidates who nominated themselves or were nominated by other faculty within the college. A committee, which consisted of faculty from within and outside the CCCA, decided on the selection of interim dean.
James Newell, provost of Rowan University, felt Tweedie was extremely qualified for the role as he is the chair of the largest department within the CCCA, writing arts.
“Dr. Tweedie received one nomination from every department within the college of communication with one exception,” Newell said. “That’s 5/6 departments, which is a broad appeal.”
Tweedie has taught at Rowan University for 22 years, first beginning at Rowan when the CCCA was only a communication department and not an entire college. Tweedie has always taught within the writing arts department and acted as undergraduate coordinator of the program, and has been chair for the last three years.
Tweedie became interested in the interim dean position for a variety of reasons, one of which being that the university is currently experiencing large growth. He feels that interim dean during this time of change would be an excellent opportunity. Additionally, Tweedie’s experience encouraged him to apply for the position.
“Our college has faculty who perform both research and creative activities, and as someone who has done both, I felt I could see both the research and creative sides of the college,” Tweedie said. “It makes me excited to work with all of the faculty.”
One of Tweedie’s main goals as interim dean is to continue to practice stewardship within the CCCA. In a dean’s role, one must make sure personnel and administrative activities continue to be completed in a timely fashion.
Tweedie will help the college maintain a common mission and work toward making the CCCA more visible within Rowan University. In addition, he will oversee external university bodies such as Rowan College at Gloucester County and other Rowan-affiliated community colleges.
“I’m looking forward to meeting with each of the department chairs and faculty within the department to create a stronger sense of identity for the college,” Tweedie said. “My hope is that we all get know who we are so that we know then who we want in a permanent dean.”
Newell says he is confident Tweedie is a good fit for the position.
“I’ve known [Tweedie] for 20 years and I’ve always had great respect for him,” Newell said. “He will make a great interim dean.”
Tweedie said he is happy for Arnold’s new opportunity elsewhere, hoping that his time as leader will be beneficial for the college.
“I want to thank dean Lorin Arnold for her time as dean. She mentored me as chair and helped prepare me for this position,” Tweedie said. “I aim to learn as much as I can about all the amazing things that go on in CCCA, and to meeting more students and hearing about their successes. And I look forward to having the opportunity to promote all this internally and externally.”
Tweedie is also excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the communication programs separating from the department of English during his time as interim dean.
