The inauguration of a new University president has traditionally signaled an administrative transition period campus-wide. When former University President Harold Shapiro took office in 1988, new deans of faculty and admission and a new provost were soon appointed.
President Tilghman's installation has marked another executive shuffle. Over the past month, the deans of the architecture, graduate, engineering and Wilson schools have announced their resignations.
Classics professor Josiah Ober, who currently serves as head of the search committee for a graduate school dean to succeed John Wilson, remarked that unlike at other schools, University administrators pursue academic endeavors in addition to carrying out day-to-day operations.
"This keeps administrators closely in touch with teaching and reading, but it also means that many of our scholar-teacher-administrators will not choose to serve more than a single term of several years in the administration," Ober said.
Committees have been formed to begin the search for administrators to head the other three schools as well, Tilghman said.
"In all cases we are looking for individuals with leadership capacity and a vision for their respective school," Tilghman said in an e-mail. "All searches will be considering both candidates inside Princeton as well as outside candidates."
Provost Amy Gutmann said the committees will consult with the University community.
"The committees will make their recommendations to President Tilghman after consulting broadly with students, faculty, outside advisory committees and others and then deliberating among themselves," Gutmann explained.
As the University grapples with constantly changing technology, new research fields and evolving student interests, searches will focus on finding candidates who will be best prepared to "take advantage of the opportunities and face the challenges of a new century," Ober said.
The architecture committee to find a successor to Ralph Lerner is headed by professor Robert Hillier '59. The committee consists of members inside and outside of the school. It is consulting with outside architects who have connections to the school.
The search for a successor to Wilson School Dean Michael Rothschild will begin with a committee meeting with Tilghman on Nov. 27. Politics professor Larry Bartels, designated in charge of the group, said, "We will be talking to a wide variety of people in and out of [the Wilson School] regarding issues facing the school and qualifications for the deanship before proceeding to consideration of any specific candidates."
In the engineering school, the search began at the beginning of the fall term for a replacement for James Wei. Committee chair and electrical engineering professor Sigurd Wagner said, "Committee members are soliciting advice on the search from highly respected and experienced engineers in universities and industry."
"I expect the committees to make their recommendations in the spring semester," Gutmann said.
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