March 13, 2013: James Parente to Step Down as CLA Dean

Dear Colleagues,

James Parente, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, has announced his plans to step down as dean at the end of June and return to his faculty position as a professor in the Department of German, Scandinavian and Dutch. This decision reflects a move he has discussed with me over the past several months.

Dean Parente was appointed to the CLA deanship in 2008, after serving for a year as interim dean and also as associate dean for faculty and research from 2000 to 2007. A champion of the liberal arts, he has provided steadfast guidance for CLA during a time of transition and fiscal challenges, and he has enhanced the college's reputation for academic excellence and innovation. For the past two years he has, in addition, provided University-level service as a member of the President's Senior Leadership Group. His commitment to CLA has been and remains deep, sincere, and abiding, and I ask you to join me in offering warm thanks for his valued service and his devotion to the college and University.

Dean Parente, who holds a Ph.D. in Germanic languages and literatures, joined the Minnesota faculty in 1993, after serving on the faculties of Princeton University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. A former chair of the Department of German, Scandinavian and Dutch, his scholarship and teaching focus on the literature and culture of the Middle Ages and Early Modern period (1450-1750) in central and northern Europe.

I will launch a national search for a new dean as soon as possible, seeking to recruit outstanding candidates throughout the spring and summer and aiming to have interviews with finalists next fall. My goal is to have a new dean hired by January 2014. Dean Parente will continue to work with me and the CLA leadership team through June to facilitate a smooth transition to an interim dean.

I want to extend my appreciation to Jim Parente for his deeply committed service to CLA and the significant contributions he has made to the college and the University. I look forward to continuing to work with him as a faculty colleague in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Karen Hanson,
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

email sent March 13, 2013 to the Administrative Email Lists (AEL).