43
YSU dean accepts another job
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State University’s dean of the College of Creative Arts and Communication is leaving in mid-January to become the chief academic officer at Lake Erie College.
Bryan DePoy, who came to YSU in 2009, said his decision to take the new position has nothing to do with YSU.
“It’s a job I adore in every possible way,” he said. “I’m proud of the accomplishments of my college and the impact of faculty and staff, and I think this is a great time to be at YSU.”
He saw the position at Lake Erie College, however, as a great opportunity, he said.
Martin Abraham, YSU’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in a written statement that he would work with the CCAC faculty and staff to develop a plan to move forward.
“Dean DePoy has done an excellent job in moving YSU’s College of Creative Arts and Communication forward, and we’re sad to see him leave, but we’re excited for him as he takes on this new opportunity at Lake Erie College,” Abraham said. “Bryan has established a solid foundation of success in putting the college on a collaborative path with the community, adding relevant new programs and working to stabilize enrollment.”
DePoy said Lake Erie College is an institution that’s on the move.
“It’s experienced unprecedented growth. It’s almost doubled in enrollment. It’s a great opportunity for me professionally.”
It’s a smaller institution with a lower faculty-to-student ratio, and the position is an executive leadership role. The private college enrolls just more than 1,100 students.
Still, DePoy said leaving YSU was a difficult decision.
“This move for me is more a success story,” he said. “The college I lead has been involved in some very interesting and innovative things over the last few years. The future is very bright not only for the college but for YSU in general.”
Lake Erie selected DePoy for the vice president for academic affairs/CAO position after a national search.
DePoy is the fifth high-ranking official to leave YSU in the past year.
Short-term President Randy Dunn left office last February after only eight months in office. Longtime Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ikram Khawaja retired last June. R. Scott Evans, former vice president for advancement, resigned last May to become senior vice president and chief of the staff at Lake Erie College, and Shearle Furnish, founding dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Science, left in June to become the founding dean of the College of Arts, Letters & Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
In a news release, Lake Erie College President Michael T. Victor said the college is delighted to have DePoy in the leadership position.
“He is an accomplished academician and administrator. Dr. DePoy has a strong record of creating an environment resulting in innovative degree programs and interdisciplinary curricula, establishing partnerships within the region and managing a college within a public university system that has a significant number of students, faculty and staff. He is a ‘builder,’ and I am excited to see where we can take our programs.”