Associate Dean of the College Howard "Hank" Dobin will be leaving the University for a position as Dean of the College at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., Washington and Lee announced last Friday.
Dobin has served as associate dean since 1996, before which he was on the faculty of the English department at the University of Maryland. Dobin said his decision to leave the University was "mostly personal."
"I've been doing this job for nine years and I think I'm ready to move on," he explained. He said he felt the moment was right to take on new responsibilities and that there was no immediate possibility for promotion here at Princeton.
In his new position at Washington and Lee, Dobin will be responsible not only for student services and curriculum development — which are key roles of the Office of the Dean of the College at Princeton — but for faculty oversight as well, which is a responsibility of the Office of the Dean of the Faculty at Princeton.
Dobin said he was attracted to Washington and Lee's excellent faculty and beautiful campus, as well as its status as a small, liberal arts-based university. "I've always been devoted to undergraduate education," Dobin said.
Though he said he is sad to be leaving Princeton, Dobin called the transition to Washington and Lee "the logical move." "I believe I've made a real contribution [at Princeton]," Dobin said.
He said he was particularly proud of his work on the Community-Based Learning Initiative and the Writing Program.
Dobin said that he would especially miss the University's "high level of energy" and "the sheer amount of activity" that a smaller college may not be able to offer, as well as "the people I've come to know and work with over nine years."
Dean of the College Nancy Weiss Malkiel said she would "really miss" Dobin. "He's been a terrific colleague," she said, but "he's fully ready for the next level of responsibility that this new position will bring."
Dobin plans to begin his new position on August 1. He will remain at Princeton at least until the end of the academic year, perhaps into July. He hopes that his replacement will be named soon enough to allow for a brief transition period when he can help prepare his successor for the job.
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