August 04, 2006
Vaux named interim dean at College of Liberal Arts
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Alan C. Vaux, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, will become interim Dean beginning Aug. 7.
John M. Dunn, SIUC provost and vice chancellor, announced the appointment today (Aug. 4). The appointment is subject to ratification by the SIU Board of Trustees.
"Dr. Vaux has very impressive academic credentials, he's an experienced administrator and he has widespread support from the faculty and staff in the College of Liberal Arts. We're very pleased that he has agreed to this appointment," Dunn said.
Vaux (pronounced "Vo") takes over for Shirley Clay Scott, who left SIUC to become dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
"I am greatly honored to hold this position in such a complex, sophisticated and vibrant college," said Vaux. "Despite serious budget challenges, CoLA has maintained its place at the center of the university, offering a wide array of high quality undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts, humanities and social sciences and playing a key role in the Core Curriculum. The faculty have generated spectacular scholarship and creative work, and our vitality and morale grew dramatically under former Dean Scott's leadership. I hope to maintain that momentum."
Vaux joined SIUC in 1980 as an assistant professor of psychology. He became a full professor in 1993 and chaired his department from 1996 to 2004. Since 2004, Vaux has served as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
A native of Ireland, Vaux earned bachelor's and doctoral degrees in psychology from Trinity College in Dublin in 1973 and 1979, respectively. He also holds master's (1978) and doctoral (1981) degrees from University of California, Irvine.
Vaux will serve as interim dean during the search for a permanent replacement, Dunn said.
"We'll be engaged in a nationwide search starting this fall with goal of finalizing the search no later than the beginning of the next academic year," he said.
Vaux is interested in the permanent position, "so long as I feel that I can effectively lead the college," he said.
In the meantime, Vaux's goals are "to help sustain and enhance CoLA's impressive record of
accomplishment by facilitating the teaching, scholarship and creative work of a highly talented faculty, with the assistance of a heroic support staff," he said.
Supporting and fostering faculty excellence are among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.
Alan C. Vaux
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