Message from the Provost - CEHHS Interim Associate Dean Appointment

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Deborah Kristan has accepted an 18-month, temporary appointment as Interim associate dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services, effective January 1, 2018. Dr. Kristan is a professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM), and brings a broad and varied range of relevant experiences to this position.

As department chair, and as chair of the Academic Senate, Dr. Kristan has demonstrated her leadership abilities in consultative and collaborative decision-making, and has acquired many of the required operational skills including budget analysis, strategic planning, and recruiting, developing, evaluating, and retaining tenure-track and lecturer faculty, and staff. In addition, Dr. Kristan has served on numerous college and university-wide committees, including among others, the University Budget Committee, the California Faculty Association Salary Equity Team, the most recent Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan (DISP) Committee, and the University Without Borders Action Group. This broad scope of service, and her significant involvement in faculty governance, at various levels, has given Dr. Kristan a keen insight and a unique depth of knowledge regarding the strategic goals of all the colleges, and other units within Academic Affairs, as well as within the divisions across the university. Through this service, she has established, developed and maintained positive and collaborative working relationships with faculty, administrators and staff beyond her department, her college and Academic Affairs.

In addition, Dr. Kristan has a longstanding interest in and commitment to the Schools and Departments in the College of Education, Health and Human Services (CEHHS). Since 2004, she has served on multiple search committees for the School of Nursing, Human Development and Kinesiology, including the committee that hired the founding faculty in the School of Nursing; and, most recently, she chaired the search committee for the current director of the School of Nursing. She has served as a member of the Human Development Program Advisory Committee, and is currently a member of the advisory board for the Institute of Palliative Care, whose work is closely connected to several programs in the College.

Dr. Kristan demonstrates a strong work ethic, and is recognized as being fair, balanced and unbiased in her approach to decision-making and problem-solving. Dean Powell and I look forward to working with Dr. Kristan in her new role.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Kristan on her appointment as interim associate dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services.

Graham Oberem, Ph.D.
Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs