HASS dean to step down

A lot has happened in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences during Gary Kiger’s term as dean.

The Caine School of the Arts was established in August of 2005.

A new performance hall was funded through a generous donation and built on USU’s campus, drawing praise as a feat of ingenuity and a tribute to the arts in Cache Valley.

The religious studies program was kicked off Fall 2006, and a master’s program in sociology is set to begin classes next fall.

As a matter of course, much of the praise for these things must be directed toward Kiger, but he says the accomplishments are not his.

“We’re a team here,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”

And after six years of being part of this team, Kiger will be stepping down in July.

USU President Stan Albrecht said the university has begun a new policy in which deans and department heads are rotated every few years. Kiger, a professor of sociology, served one year as interim dean and then was appointed to a five-year term, which will end this summer.

Considering how he feels about knowing that in less than a year he will no longer be the head of USU’s largest college, he said, “I think the biggest feeling is from looking back on all our accomplishments. This college is rich in its diversity. I have outstanding colleagues, the students are great – it makes my job easier, because all I have to do is brag about them.”

Kiger said one of his favorite moments as dean was the opening of the new performance hall. The addition of the hall to the college provided not just a new building, he said, but an opportunity for students and the community alike to enjoy the arts and help spread them through Cache Valley. He said he likes to say that this is the the “new land grant goal,” to bring the arts to the community.

This goal was pushed forward not only by the performance hall, but also by the organization of the HASS hour lectures, begun by Kiger in 2004, in which faculty members give a 10-minute lecture that is open to students and the public. However, the thing of which he was most proud, Kiger said, was the foundation of the Caine School of the Arts.

“We wanted to make this an umbrella school (for all art programs),” he said. “And it sends a signal that the arts are important.”

During his last academic year as dean, Kiger said he wants to work on “departmental visioning.” He wants each department in the College of HASS to consider how they are positioned relative to where their discipline is going. Thinking about how to improve and how to stay competitive is a goal for this year, he said.

Another thing the college is working on is developing and updating tenure guidelines.

At the end of his term as dean, Kiger will be eligible for sabbatical leave, after which he has the option of returning to teaching in the sociology department.

Albrecht said, “Most of us got into this business to be teachers and researchers. It’s time for him to go back to whatever he chooses. He’s an excellent faculty member, but he may consider other options at other institutions if he likes.”

-elizabeth.lawyer@aggiemail.usu.edu