The search for a dean to be the head of Dedman College has come to a close. Last Friday the search committee announced the appointment of Cordelia Candelaria to the permanent role effective July 1.

The search committee was formed in October 2007 to replace former Dean Jasper Neel, who stepped down to focus on teaching after the 2005-06 school year. Meadows School of the Arts Dean José Bowen served as the search committee chair.

“We wanted an academic superstar, a people person, a fundraiser, an advocate, a visionary and someone with real administrative skill who can get the job done,” Bowen said.

After six months of searching, Bowen said of the committee’s choice, “I am thrilled that Cordelia Candelaria will be joining our vibrant group of deans and administrators at SMU. Her interview was impressive for its honesty and passion, and she has a clear record of getting things done. It is a great day for Dedman College and SMU.”

Candelaria is an English professor and former chair of the Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, a department at Arizona State University, as well as Associate Dean of the Office of Strategic Initiatives in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.

Candelaria is well versed in administrative process. While working at ASU, she played a role in enhancing diversity among faculty, administrators and staff for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She also aided in the advancement of interdisciplinary academic programs, and played a vital role in the creation of many programs in the opening of a new branch of the Arizona State campus in downtown Phoenix.

“I’m enthusiastic about heading Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences which, as the university’s oldest and largest college, has helped define the very nature of SMU,” Candelaria said. “The college connects all of the university’s students to knowledge of the past and to new frontiers of creative discovery through both its general education curriculum and major programs of study in the social sciences, natural sciences and the humanities.

“I look forward to working with my new colleagues to advance Dedman College programs to flourishing levels of achievement, innovation and visibility, which will have a positive impact on our shared interconnected global reality,” she said.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul W. Ludden says he is pleased that Candelaria will be joining the faculty as dean and a distinguished professor of English.

“She brings an extraordinary wealth of academic and administrative experience to our campus,” Ludden said.

Dedman College is home to over 250 faculty members as well as over 2,000 students dispersed in majors and minors across 16 different departments.

“Dean Candelaria is honest and friendly, but also passionate and dedicated to academics and will move both the college and SMU forward,” Bowen said. “I predict she will soon be admired and loved at SMU for her hard work and nurturing of Dedman College.”