The Advisory Search Committee on the Deanship of the College of Arts & Sciences is charged with helping the University of Washington identify and recruit an exceptional academic leader for one of the institution’s largest and most diverse colleges.
Advisory Search Committee on the Deanship of the College of Arts & Sciences
- Ahmad Ezzeddine, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, Co-Chair
- Jay Panyam, Dean, School of Pharmacy, Co-Chair
- Claire Atkinson, Senior, Physics
- Holly Barker, Teaching Professor, Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
- Megan Callow, Associate Teaching Prof, English, Director of Writing, Arts and Sciences
- Charlie Carter, Chair, Dean’s Advisory Board
- Andrew Flannery, Associate Director, Burke Museum, Arts and Sciences
- Alan Griffith, Associate Professor, Economics, Arts and Sciences
- Alexes Harris, Chair, American Ethnic Studies and Professor, Sociology, Arts and Sciences
- Nandana Jaideep, Senior, Economics and President of ASUW
- Chris Laws, Teaching Professor, Astronomy, Arts and Sciences
- Mark Letteney, Assistant Professor, History, Arts and Sciences
- Xiaosong Li, Professor and Chair, Chemistry, Associate Dean for Research, Arts and Sciences
- Adrienne Mackey, Assistant Professor, Drama, Arts and Sciences
- Ivy Mason-Sharrah, Director of Personnel Services, Arts and Sciences
- Anne McCoy, Professor, Chemistry, Arts and Sciences
- Julia Parrish, Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Associate Dean, College of the Environment
- Becca Price, Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, UW Bothell
- Tivon Rice, Assistant Professor, Digital Arts and Experimental Media, Arts and Sciences
- Farbod Shokrieh, Professor, Mathematics, Arts and Sciences
- Lynn Thomas, Director, Simpson Center for the Humanities and Professor, History, Arts and Sciences
- Kevin Thompson, Associate Dean for Advancement, Arts and Sciences
- Richard Watts, Associate Professor, French, Arts and Sciences
- Michelle Witt, Director, Meany Center, Arts and Sciences
Charge letter
Dear Colleagues:
Thank you for agreeing to serve on the advisory search committee to identify and recommend candidates for the position of Katherine and John Simpson Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. This search may involve both internal and external candidates. Ahmad Ezzeddine, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, and Jay Panyam, Dean, School of Pharmacy will co-chair the committee. We are fortunate to have such a superb committee.
Our goal is to have a new dean identified by Spring 2026. We seek a distinguished academic and a visionary leader for the College of Arts and Sciences who will work well with the UW community, including other academic units, public and non-profit partners, alumni, and donors. I am grateful to Dianne Harris for her service as dean over the last 5 years.
Enclosed is a copy of Executive Order 20 from the University of Washington Policy Directory, which sets forth the basic procedures for conducting a search for a dean. The University has a strong commitment to diversity, and I ask you to use best practices in ensuring compliance with our state and federal requirements to equitably assess candidates for this position. Please establish protocols for seeking the opinions of members of the College of Arts and Sciences, broader UW faculty, student and staff communities, as well as other appropriate constituencies within and outside the University of Washington.
At the conclusion of the search, the President and I would like to receive from you the names of at least three highly qualified candidates. We are engaging the executive search firm, Isaacson Miller, to assist you in this search.
Thank you very much for accepting this important assignment.
Sincerely,
Tricia R. Serio
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor, Biochemistry