As the deans of the business and communication schools step down, a search committee is being formed to fill their positions.

School of Business

Daniel Short, dean of the M.J. Neeley School of Business, has decided to step down from his position by the end of the 2008 academic year.

Short said he believes he has done a good job as dean for four years and now he wants to give someone else an opportunity do a better job.

“I will miss being a dean,” he said. “It is the greatest job in the world to work with other deans and alumni.”

However, before he retires, Short said, he wants to be in the classroom.

“I prefer working closely with students,” Short said.

Lynn Cole, assistant dean of undergraduate programs for the business school, has worked with Short and said she respects his desire to return to the classroom.

“I hated to see him step down,” Cole said. “He has done a wonderful job and has made a lot of progress for the business school.”

Stuart Youngblood, professor of management, said he admires the work Short has done for the business school.

Youngblood said even though he wished Short had stayed a dean longer, he understands stepping down from the position was Short’s personal choice.

“He is a textbook author and an outstanding teacher,” Youngblood said.

After gaining experience and expertise in various fields, Short said, he is looking forward to making a change in his life.

Bill Moncrief, senior associate dean of the business school, said Short has been a pleasure to work with.

“We are sorry to see him step down,” Moncrief said. “We would love for him to continue for several more years.”

College of Communication

William Slater, professor and dean of the College of Communication, said he is stepping down at the end of this semester or when a new dean is appointed so he, too, can teach.

“I enjoy teaching and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to do it,” Slater said. “I would enjoy ending my academic career in the classroom as I started.”

Slater, who has been with the College of Communication since 2002, said he will be taking sabbatical for a year before he begins teaching. Slater, who has not taught at TCU, said he has not decided what he wants to teach when he returns in fall 2009 or what he will do during the sabbatical.

Slater said he has been invited by the University of Kansas and Louisiana State University to teach a course for a semester and he might consider taking the offers.

Tommy Thomason, director of the Schieffer School of Journalism, said Slater had helped the department in a time of shortage.

“I think we were fortunate to have Bill Slater’s leadership in a very crucial time at the beginning of the college,” Thomason said. “Bill has helped to articulate a vision.

He understands the unique needs of a professionally-oriented department and has helped us to get the resources we need.”

Slater said the College of Communication has enjoyed an enrollment growth from 750 students in 2002 to 1,100 students this semester.

Thomason said the search committee for the new dean of the communications school will consist of students, faculty and administrators from inside and outside the College of Communication.

“A search firm has been retained to assist the committee with the search,” he said.

There will be a national search for the new dean and advertisements will be placed in academic national publications, Thomason said.

“It’s a fantastic time to be looking for a new dean because we are looking for a dean who can understand both the industry and the future of mass communication,” he said.

Moncrief said the procedure for the selection of the new dean of business school will be same as the communications school.

Nowell Donovan, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, will lead the search committee for new deans. Donovan said it is still too early to tell when the new deans will be hired because the search committee is still being formed.

Slater has been the dean for 15 years. Before joining the College of Communication at TCU, he was the dean at Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno and the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism at West Virginia University.

According to the business school’s Web site, before coming to TCU, Short was the dean of Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University and the dean and Professor at Kansas State University.

Staff reporter Caroline Lockwood contributed to this report.