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Provost reviews Woo, other deans

Committees also seek feedback for Nursing, Law School top administrators

Three deans will undergo performance reviews as part of their consideration for reappointment, Provost John Simon announced last week. Simon appointed separate committees to conduct reviews for College Dean Meredith Woo, Law School Dean Paul Mahoney and Nursing School Dean Dorrie Fontaine.

Psychology Prof. Tim Wilson, who is the chair of the committee reviewing Woo, said his committee has had one meeting in which they received the charge from the Provost, and they are now working on getting input from faculty, students and other relevant constituencies. Since the identity of those offering feedback will remain confidential, Wilson hopes that they will get candid and honest feedback.

“We have asked for confidential letters [addressed] to me which will be shared with the committee,” he said. “We will be conducting face-to-face interviews and we want to hear from a lot of people.”

Although the committee will invite anybody with experience with Woo to speak with them, they will also specifically reach out to department and program chairs, student leaders and associate deans in the College, Wilson said. Woo will also provide input on her own performance.

“We want to interview her and get her thoughts on her term and on the future,” Wilson said.

The reports do not make a recommendation for or against reappointment, but they will be used by Simon and University President Teresa Sullivan in their decisions about the deans’ reappointments.

A dean’s term is typically five years, and it is University policy to have a reappointment review before the end of this term if the dean is being considered for reappointment. Similar reviews were conducted for Education School Dean Robert Pianta, Commerce School Dean Carl Zeithaml and Medical School Dean Steven DeKosky last year, all followed by reappointment to their positions.

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