DeMerger to be official April 1
Dean search expected to give VP more time for clinical leadership
Home Care services to operate separately
Dean search expected to give VP more time for clinical leadership
Eugene Bauer told two faculty gatherings in mid-February that he hopes the timely work of the dean's search committee will give him an ally to represent academic interests at a time of tough choices and enormous financial pressures on Stanford's clinical enterprise.
Bauer's job as Vice President for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine will be split in two - the hiring of a new dean will allow him to focus on the VP portion of his position under the new title of vice presdient for Stanford University Medical Center.
At a Feb. 16 Medical School Faculty Senate meeting and a Feb. 18 town hall meeting, Bauer spoke prior to presentations by the committee searching for his replacement as dean. At both meetings, the co-chairs of the search committee expressed confidence that they will be able to submit a list of three to five unranked internal and external decanal candidates by April 15, the deadline set by University President Gerhard Casper.
"We may have to make decisions about downsizing programs," Bauer told the several dozen faculty members who attended the town hall meeting.
"The kinds of decisions that will have to be made as we face our reconstitution of the Medical Center will have an academic impact. I have deep conviction that I should not be making those [decisions] unilaterally. They require someone who has a depth of understanding and an approach that will represent the academic needs of the school," Bauer said.
"The job that Gene [Bauer] is currently trying to do is too big for one person," said University Provost John Hennessy, who co-chairs the search committee with Stephen Galli, professor and chair of pathology. Bauer told the senate he is spending nearly 100 percent of his time dealing with clinical issues. However, Bauer assured the faculty that he would stay on as dean until a replacement is appointed or until he is asked to step down.
Hennessy said that while the president will consider a short list of decanal candidates in April, the final decision will likely be made "in tandem with the new president."
"I can't imagine that somebody would want to take this position without knowing who the boss is going to be," particularly when the candidate serves at the president's pleasure, Hennessy said.
Hennessy said the board of trustees will meet April 12, and "I think they're working toward that date" to recommend a new president, who could then be involved in the dean's final selection along with Casper.
Galli and Hennessy addressed faculty concerns by explaining that while the search period is short, it is flexible and will accommodate screening of both internal and external candidates. Galli said the 12-member committee has identified 33 to 35 potential external candidates and about a dozen internal candidates.
The group has placed ads in major scholarly and academic trade publications, but Galli said the committee will rely primarily on the faculty for input. Letters soliciting suggestions have been sent to the entire faculty, and the search committee is meeting with members of constituent groups, including the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System as well as other schools at the University that interact closely with the Medical School, such as engineering. Galli noted that because of the tight timetable, suggestions must be submitted to the search committee no later than March 31. Suggestions should be sent of Jeffrey Wachtel, associate provost and staff to the committee at jwachtel@stanford.edu.
The committee, Galli said, is looking for someone who is "not on their training wheels when it comes to academic leadership, [someone] who actually has experience in that area, someone of outstanding scientific stature with a proven commitment to the educational mission." The new dean probably will have an MD degree, but unusually qualified PhD candidates will not be ruled out, he said.
"And we need someone who is willing to work in a sort of tandem relationship with the vice president of the Medical Center," Galli added. He noted that only a handful of academic medical centers, including Duke and Rochester, have a similar vice president/dean administrative structure.
Hennessy explained that the dean will report to the provost on academic issues. Other members of the search committee include Ann M. Arvin, professor and chief of pediatric infectious diseases and professor of microbiology/immunology; Thomas A. Burdon, associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery; Patricia Engasser, representing alumni; Marion Henry, medical student; Charlotte Jacobs, professor of medicine (oncology) and director of the Clinical Cancer Center; Susan McConnell, associate professor of biological sciences; Oscar Salvatierra, professor of surgery and of pediatrics; Matthew Scott, professor of developmental biology; Richard W. Tsien, professor of molecular and cellular physiology; and Paul G. Yock, professor of medicine (cardiovascular) and, by courtesy, of biomechanical engineering and co-director of the Institute for Biomedical Engineering.
