Kennesaw State College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Dr. Shawn Long accepted applications for a new dean advisory council this month to ensure students and administration in the CHSS are in communication.
“This council serves as another vehicle for communicating with the various stakeholders and constituencies within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences,” Long said.
The dean advisory council, created by Long, will begin in Fall 2020. Members chosen will serve for the 2020-21 academic year, Long said. Applications for the council closed Friday, Jan. 24.
The council will be comprised of faculty, staff and students within the CHSS — however, the council does not serve as a governing body over the CHSS, Long said.
Long said that membership is comprised of one representative from multiple groups on campus. These groups include tenure track faculty, tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty — which include lecturers, senior lecturers and clinical faculty — staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, part-time faculty and department chairs.
Representatives of the CHSS student government association select student representatives for the council, Long said.
Student representatives selected were comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, Long said.
The council’s responsibilities include advising the dean and alerting him of matters of interest in regards to the faculty, staff and students of the college, Long said.
“The council would serve as a communication device between me and the various groups where the exchange of ideas and information could continue to improve and advance the largest college on campus,” Long said.
The survey with the student representative nominations were sent out to CHSS students the morning of Monday, Jan. 27. CHSS students will have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, to vote.
Long said that his CHSS colleagues have welcomed the creation of the council and actually encourage it.
“There has not been opposition, so far,” Long said. “There is broad support for the creation of this opportunity.”
As the new dean of the CHSS, Long said he would like to hear from as many voices as possible.
Long became dean of the CHSS last year, breaking KSU history as the first black dean of the college, the Sentinel reported last semester.
The advisory council is just one of the initiatives Long has put forward since becoming dean.
Long’s “PassPort to Success” program is to also be implemented this year, according to the Sentinel. The program is intended to help KSU students approach leadership and their future careers at an earlier time in college.
This semester, Long implemented “Arnold Palmers with the Dean,” where students can drink Arnold Palmers with Long and talk about their concerns for the CHSS.
“Transdisciplinary Innovation Hubs,” another Long initiative, will provide CHSS students with research and internship opportunities earlier in their college careers, according to the Sentinel.
