By Jervette Ward
Staff Reporter
While he’s keeping the job he’s had for much of the last two years, Henry Kurtz said he knows his role at The University of Memphis will grow after being named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences last week.
Kurtz, who had served as the college’s interim dean while his predecessor, Ralph Faudree, was serving as interim president, said Wednesday there is a difference in what he had been doing as interim dean and what he will do now as the college’s permanent head.
“The duties are the same, yet the attitude is different,” Kurtz said. “Your expectations and responsibilities are higher. There is more weight. Your opportunities go up. You get to make changes, and you don’t have to worry about anyone else dealing with them.”
Faudree had been scheduled to return to his role as dean of the college when The University selected Shirley Raines as its 11th president. However, after Raines took over in July of 2001, she named Faudree provost and asked Kurtz to serve as interim dean of Arts and Sciences until a new dean was named.
After an extensive search which saw 30 to 40 applicants for the position narrowed to a final five, Faudree chose Kurtz for the job. Last week, the Tennessee Board of Regents approved his choice.
“The committee makes recommendations, and it is my responsibility to make a decision based on their recommendations, because the deans of the colleges are directly responsible to the provost,” Faudree said.
He added he chose Kurtz for several reasons.
“He was successful as interim dean, and he gained lots of support from people in the college,” Faudree said. “He has strong credentials as a researcher and is a quality educator.”
Kurtz, who has served with The University since 1983 in several different capacities, said he has been around college life ever since he left home after high school.
“I went away to college and I never left,” he said.
Now, as dean of The University’s largest college, Kurtz said he hopes to work with all departments within the college to help their agendas. He said he also hopes to increase the awareness of what Arts and Sciences does and to alert people as to why they should invest in the college, which encompasses 40 percent of The U of M faculty and 52 percent of its undergraduate students.
