After six years as Dean of the College of Business and Global Affairs, Dr. Ross Dickens has announced his plan to resign.
Following Dickens’ resignation, there is expected to be a one year interim dean, and then a search will be conducted for his permanent replacement.
The Pacer spoke with Dickens about his decision to resign and his time at UTM.
Dickens said the decision was based solely on the need to be closer to family.
“It’s all about family. We hope to get in the grandparent business, and I know if I want to see my wife in my house, it’s going to be important that I’m closer to my children as they reach this wonderful time in life.”
Dickens will become Dean of the College of Business at Auburn University at Montgomery following his resignation.
“Professionally, this is a strictly lateral move, this isn’t about trying to climb the ladder,” Dickens said. “It’s almost exactly the same set up as UTM. The number of faculty and students are nearly the same.”
When asked about his greatest achievements as dean, Dickens pointed to his involvement with the creation of the finance lab. This lab serves students who work on the Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge to provide them with a good location to work.
Dickens also advised students to get involved with extracurricular activities and not to forget about studying to ensure their success.
“Take advantage of the extracurricular opportunities because that’s what makes this place just amazingly special. Along with getting to know the faculty. [Extracirruclar activities] are so possible here because there’s relatively few students, so you can get much more involved, much easier, than at large campuses like Knoxville.”
Dickens said one thing he would miss is the understood mission of educating undergraduate students at UTM, but what he would miss most was those he has gotten to know in Martin.
“It’s very unusual, this is my sixth institution and it’s the only one, other than my undergraduate, [whose] mission is this clear and understood across campus.”
“In six years I’ve gotten to know people all across campus and several people throughout Martin, and the hardest thing about leaving, without a doubt, is the great people that you have to leave behind.”
Dr. Cavalier will meet with the faculty on April 12, and plans to announce the interim dean at that time. Following the one year interim, a search for the next dean will commence. Dickens successor is expected to be on campus in the summer of 2020.
