USF liberal arts dean resigns

USF's College of Arts and Sciences dean is resigning with what he calls "mixed emotions," and he cites as his reason the "potential dismantling" of the college (USF's largest) due to a looming budget-related reorganization.

"I carefully considered the fit between the type and style of the leadership I can provide and the type and style of the leadership the College needs at this point in time and concluded, reluctantly, that the fit is no longer there," Dean John Skvoretz wrote in an e-mail to colleagues.  "It has been extremely difficult over the past six months to see the advocating of proposals for its potential dismantling with quite limited consideration of the up and down sides of such an large and potentially contentous [sic] undertaking."

The liberal arts college will see its budget cut by nearly $7-million, under a $35.6-million savings plan USF officials announced last month. That includes seven potential staff layoffs, on top of 41 faculty and 30 staff posts that have already been left vacant to save money. There are also plans to consolidate some institutes and centers within the college.

Skvoretz joined USF in February 2005, following a long career at the University of South Carolina. His last day as dean will be Aug. 6. He told Gradebook in an e-mail Monday that he plans to continue teaching at USF.

Keep reading for the full e-mail he sent out Sunday.

From: Skvoretz, John
Sent: Sun 6/8/2008 7:38 PM
To: CAS Chairs; CAS Faculty
Cc: Wilcox, Ralph
Subject:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is with mixed emotions that I tell you the Provost has accepted my resignation as your Dean effective August 6th.  I carefully considered the fit between the type and style of the leadership I can provide and the type and style of the leadership the College needs at this point in time and concluded, reluctantly, that the fit is no longer there.  I was hired to help make a good college great – and we made some progress in that direction.  It has been extremely difficult over the past six months to see the advocating of proposals for its potential dismantling with quite limited consideration of the up and down sides of such an large and potentially contentous undertaking.

I thank you for all you have done during my term to make the College better in ways that are counted and ways that may not be easily counted but are just as important.

This is a college staffed and led by great people. It's a college filled with energy and excitement among its faculty and students. And it's a college that should and must consider carefully its critical role at the heart of the university. My first priority is its continued success.  I am committed to working with my successor and all others to advance the College’s contributions to the University’s strategic goals.  And to be sure such contributions are recognized and appropriately valued!

I would especially like to thank the terrific associate deans with whom it has been my pleasure to work over the past three years, John Cochran, Bruce Cochrane, Arthur Guilford, Cheryl Kirstein, Bob Potter, and Sandy Schneider, and, of course, the College’s Director of Budgets and HR, Brent Smith.  And thanks to the CASDO staff for all they did to keep on task and organized.

I wish you all well.

JS

To see the provost's response, click here.

Comments

[Dave W]

He was alright; I only met him once, but I have long held the opinion that CAS was not as rigorous as it should be. Hopefully the new Dean will increase faculty accountability for grade inflation, increase standards for course difficulty, and require more faculty publication (which is impossible to justify in the current financial climate, but down the road it needs to happen). As a Political Science and International Studies double major, I have found that in recent years our incoming students are brighter and better every year since my class entered in 2004. This is due to a push to become a "more selective" school, which I believe we have met. However, many courses are still taught on the old USF level, which was barely above the community college model. My younger professors require long research papers and have difficult essay exams (which is how the college experience should be), whereas the older rely on 3 multiple choice exams and read powerpoints all class long (which is what a community college education amounts to). The new Dean needs to recognize this and implement steps to make us more like a Pittsburgh or Washington- large, urban, state institutions with national reputations and high quality education.

[becca]

Post#1 Use your manners....all caps is considered shouting. Get some help with your anger, ummmm, K?

I could list your hereos w/o even knowing you personally. An extremely sad commentary of the state of our nation. Wish the "Uniter" hadn't been such a gol' dern "Divider."

Thinking is NOT, and has never been anti-American. Your mindset is scary, and disturbing.

Please, do get some help.

[lin]

11:16, can you justify your accusation?

[Peter]

I would like to know if the spelling error on "contentous" was in the original email or if it is the paper's error. I assume it is meant to be "Contentious".

ANOTHER LIBERAL ANTI-AMERICAN DIRTBAG EMPLOYED BY THE ILLUSTRIOUS USF.......