Candidate for EHS dean addresses crowd of 30 on Monday
Shawn Quilter said he sees teaching as a relationship of learning that gets someone from point A to point B.
“I want to share our vision with the alumni and have them help position Central the way we want it,” he said Monday to a crowd of about 30 staff members during an open forum. Quilter is a finalist for the open dean position for the College of Education and Human Services.
Quilter said he gained experience as an interim dean of the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University, as well as higher educational experiences at Florida Atlantic University and University of South Carolina.
Central Michigan University had quite a few things that attracted Quilter, he said.
“Central does a good job positioning itself with programs it offers that meets the need of Michigan,” he said. “It’s a dynamic and intriguing place with an amazing facility that does a great job of preparing professionals.”
Quilter said the dean should be responsible for meeting the needs and goals of the EHS staff, faculty and students.
“I believe we all have to have explicit goals that need to be shared, and needs that are met,” he said. “A dean needs to be able to do those things along with promote the program.”
Quilter said his approach was mostly “hands off”.
“I don’t want to get into the middle of something where things have changed without me knowing and make it worse,” he said. “If you have people working with you and doing a good job you can avoid problems where I would have to step in.”
Rob Alford, an applications coordinator for EHS, knows that the dean will play a big role.
“I came because I wanted to see his philosophy on teaching and how he will further the college,” he said. “He was a very well spoken candidate.”
Norma Bailey, professor of teacher education and professional development, said the forum went well.
“The questions were very reflective of who he is,” she said. “It’s giving us an idea of who he is and it helps give us feedback.”
