Honors dean selection nears

Four in pool of applicants for Schreyer Honors College post prepare for final interviews, selection by University President Graham Spanier.

They have the money, they have the name and before long, members of the Schreyer Honors College may have the leader.

The search for the dean of the Schreyer Honors College is coming to a close. The search committee has narrowed the applicant pool to four, said Robert Secor, vice provost for academic affairs and personnel.

The finalists of the University-wide search are Cheryl Achterberg, acting dean of the Schreyer Honors College; Eliza Pennypacker, head of the department of landscape architecture; Paul Schwartz, director of academic affairs at the Wilkes-Barre Campus; and Daniel Weedman, professor of astrophysics and astronomy.

"We're looking for someone who has got experience working with honors students," Secor said, "and has the best interests of students at the core of the college."

The finalists will now be interviewed by panels of students, faculty and administrators involved with the honors college, Secor said. With their input and additional interviews, University President Graham Spanier will make the final choice, which then must be approved by the University Board of Trustees in March.

The Schreyer Honors College is an expansion of the University Scholars Program. William and Joan Schreyer donated $30 million to the University in September in order to expand the number of services the program can offer, as well as bring more students into the program.

All four candidates have worked with honors students in some capacity.

The first role of the new dean is to meet the goals laid out by the Schreyers, Schwartz said. These goals include working with the Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning, expanding study abroad opportunities and increasing mentoring programs, said Schwartz, who has worked in all those areas.

"The goal is to create an experience for students that they can't get anywhere else in the world," he said.

Realizing the potential of the college and the faculty and students within the college is one of the main roles of the new dean, said Weedman, who has taught and advised honor students. He said he wants the college grow beyond an upgrade of the University Scholars Program.

"I'd like the see the college go beyond the students within the college to benefit all students," he said.

Achterberg and Pennypacker said they did not want to comment before the decision is made.