Thursday, March 28, 2024

Board of Trustees to recommend new Comm Arts dean

July 23, 2014

A new dean for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences will be recommended to the Board of Trustees, according to a statement by Provost June Youatt. Current Acting Dean of the College of Engineering Leo Kempel is also set to be recommended as full dean pending approval by the Board of Trustees.

Youatt plans to recommend Prabu David for the position in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Should he be approved, the change would be effective as of January 1, 2015. David will replace journalism professor and acting dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences Stephen Lacy.

Lacy has served in the acting dean position since February 1, 2014. He said he and the rest of the college are excited for David's arrival and to see the plans he has in store for the college be put into action. 

"I think he's a great fit — he has a very interdisciplinary background and a wide range of communications," Lacy said. "His expertise is beyond just journalism and communications, he has experience as an administrator and he has some interesting ideas for the college." 

David's experience is not only centered around the College of Communication Arts and Sciences's expertise — he also earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Loyola College in Chennai, India. Additionally, he received a masters degree in journalism from Ohio University and a doctoral degree in mass communication from University of North Carolina. 

Youatt said in the statement, which was addressed to the faculty and staff of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, David will bring a fresh, exciting perspective to the college. 

Professor of journalism Sue Carter, the head of the search committee that selected David, and Provost June Youatt could not immediately be reached for comment. 

A similar change will be enacted on the College of Engineering.

Acting Dean Leo Kempel was recommended for the position of dean of the College of Engineering. He has served the College of Engineering for more than 16 years. 

He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1989 and the University of Michigan in 1990. 

Kempel is currently a member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and has been an instrumental part of a number of college and university projects.

"It’s extremely gratifying," Kempel said. "Having your colleagues support (the recommendation) is really critical to moving forward."

He said although his duties will not change if he is named dean, he envisions a new horizon for the College of Engineering.

"We envision an expansion of the faculty," Kempel said. "We’re finding that students that come to MSU have a choice of what to study and more of them are choosing (the College of Engineering)."

He hopes to engage students beyond the classroom through internships and international experiences. But Kempel also said he was excited to gain the support of the faculty, staff and students, as he believes their encouragement is critical to moving forward.

"Our students have a great advantage," Kempel said. "I really look forward to working with the faculty, staff and students to really ensure that MSU is the best school in the state."

Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Board of Trustees to recommend new Comm Arts dean ” on social media.