Spring Break
Dean candidate seeks to emphasize humanities
Emily Zulz / Associate News Editor
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: News
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"The arts are really in a great position right now in so many ways to do so many things, and the humanities without that kind of facility are going to need a little extra emphasis," Ringuette said.
Ringuette, chair of Eastern's English department, is the third candidate in the interview process for the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. The interviews with Ringuette began at 9 a.m. Tuesday. A social was held Tuesday evening for the campus and community.
"What I really see for the arts and humanities, is the arts growing into the potential of this wonderful building we now have, the Doudna (Fine Arts Center), and the humanities taking advantage of it as well," Ringuette said. "What I hope to be able to do as dean is to now emphasize the importance and the role of the humanities, not just within the university community but the surrounding community and the state."
Ringuette said the arts have acquired a high profile with the new building. "I think we have some wonderful things happening in the humanities that we can build on," he said.
Ringuette said he would build on the programs already coming out of the humanities, such as the women's studies program and the Interdisciplinary Center for Diversity.
He said he would like to build on interdisciplinary team teaching and collaborations within departments and within the college.
"My role I see is to build and to help those sorts of cross-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary interests grow," he said.
Ringuette would also generate external funding for the humanities that would enable visiting scholars and resident scholars to be on campus for however long they can be supported.
This funding would also allow fellowships for faculty on campus and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students.
Ringuette said there are multiple ways the arts and the humanities can work together. "They already are in so many ways that contribute to that integrative learning and an integrative curriculum and making progress toward that for our students," he said.
Ringuette has been a faculty member at Eastern for almost 20 years. He began as an assistant professor of English in 1990. In 1997, he became chair of the English department.
Ringuette said his already being a member of the university is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage to him, but he said that there are things he still needs to learn about all the departments in the same way that any candidate would need to.
"Probably the best thing about it is I know a great many people involved in the process," he said.
Mary Ann Hanner, dean of the College of Sciences and chair of the screening committee for the dean position, said the committee treats the interviews for each candidate much the same.
She said Ringuette did not receive the campus or community tour, as he is already familiar with Eastern.
"We look for a greater insight into EIU," Hanner said. "Where should EIU be headed, because we know he has a greater understanding of the university."
Hanner said Ringuette was able to address this. She said he addressed integrating his experience at the university to move the programs forward along with the goals of President Bill Perry.
"Our other candidates couldn't speak to that as specifically," Hanner said.
Ringuette has experience of being in charge of a large department to bring to the dean position.
"My experience as chair and especially of a large department ... has given me the opportunity ... to actually try and make things work and function within a department in a way that I think is valuable in terms of a dean's relationships with departments of a college," Ringuette said.
Linda Coleman, professor of English and women's studies, works closely with Ringuette within the English department.
"(A) word I'd use for him is collaborative," Coleman said. "That means he listens, he gathers ideas. He works with people, not over them."
She also said given the size and scope of the English department, Ringuette has the experience of overlapping and not always converging needs.
"I think his greatest strength is he has both vision and day-to-day skills," Coleman said.
She said this combination is the gift of a great administrator. Some are good at the vision and some at the day-to-day, she said.
"He really marries these quite nicely," Coleman said.
Interviews with Ringuette will continue today.
Richard Sax, dean and vice president for academic affairs for Lake Erie College will be the final candidate in the interview process and will be on campus Thursday.
The screening committee will then meet the following week to review the feedback before giving a summary of strengths and weaknesses to Provost Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs.
Emily Zulz can be reached at 581-7942 or at eazulz@eiu.edu.
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