Interdisciplinary Studies Division Approved

Tanya Saunders is the College's newest dean.

In a major academic change, President Peggy R. Williams has established the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies to house programs that extend beyond the traditional courses in Ithaca College's five schools. As reported in the Ithaca College Quarterly last year ("Criss-Course," 2002/1), the Center for Teacher Education, the Office of International Programs, the Gerontology Institute, and the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity had been units without an administrative home. Now, says Williams, they have their own administrative entity that will "encourage the development and promotion of interdisciplinary programs and supervise interdisciplinary study, key goals of the academic programs portion of the institutional plan."

The new division, an outcome of work done by the Interdisciplinary Studies Task Force formed last spring, will expand to include other programs. The president named assistant provost Tanya Saunders as the first dean of interdisciplinary studies.

"This is an exciting opportunity to work with all segments of the College's academic and administrative divisions to meet the current and future needs of our students," says Saunders. "We will be developing policies and procedures that will make it easier for faculty members to offer interdisciplinary studies, either within an existing unit or across units. This flexibility is intended to enhance the ability of the individual schools to serve their constituencies."

Photo by Thomas Hoebbel