Barbara S. Andereck, Ph.D., Appointed Ohio Wesleyan’s Interim Dean of Academic Affairs
Barbara S. Andereck
DELAWARE, OHIO – Barbara S. Andereck, Ph.D., the Jacob S. Zook Professor of Physics and Astronomy, has been appointed as Ohio Wesleyan University’s interim dean of academic affairs for the 2012-2013 academic year.
Andereck, a member of the Ohio Wesleyan faculty since 1985, will fill in for Charles L. Stinemetz, Ph.D., who has been appointed interim provost while the university conducts a national search to replace Provost David O. Robbins, Ph.D.
Robbins, the Homer C. Lucas University Professor of Psychology, joined the Ohio Wesleyan faculty in 1973 and has served as provost since 2005. He announced earlier this year his wishes to step down as provost to conclude his career as an active member of the teaching faculty.
Stinemetz, who appointed Andereck as interim dean, said she is exceptionally qualified for the role.
“For more than 25 years, Barbara has been in integral part of the Ohio Wesleyan community,” Stinemetz said. “She is an inspiring role model for OWU students and colleagues alike. She is an innovative teacher, committed to providing a thorough and meaningful educational experience for every student fortunate enough to enter her classroom.”
During her tenure at Ohio Wesleyan, Andereck has served on several standing faculty committees: University Governance, Academic Policy, and Teaching and Learning. She was chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 1995 to 2001, served on the planning committee of the Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, and held various offices of the Ohio Section of the American Physical Society for a decade.
In 2006, Andereck was named associate dean of academic affairs for assessment and accreditation. In the same year, she was selected as a member of the Peer Review Corps of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. She guided Ohio Wesleyan through the self-study process for the institution’s 2009 re-accreditation. She currently serves on the Institutional Action Council of the Higher Learning Commission, reviewing and approving requests and related reports for commission action. She earned her doctorate from Rutgers University.
Stinemetz was appointed acting provost on a temporary basis in fall 2011 and will serve as interim provost for the full 2012-2013 academic year. He has served as dean of academic affairs since he joined Ohio Wesleyan in 2006. His accomplishments include serving as co-chair of the group that developed the academic component of the university’s institutional strategic plan and chair of the OWU Connection curricular plan committee.
An Ohio Wesleyan alumnus, he also has helped to reorganize or restructure the university’s Sagan Academic Resource Center, Office of the Registrar, and Office of International and Off-Campus Programs. Stinemetz earned his doctorate from The Ohio State University.
Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones, Ph.D., said the university is fortunate to have both Stinemetz and Andereck to continue to advance the university’s curriculum and to support students and faculty.
“We’re excited to have an educational administrator of Chuck’s caliber serving as interim provost,” Jones said, “and his appointing Barbara as interim dean of academic affairs ensures that Ohio Wesleyan will continue to benefit from excellent leadership in its academic program. Both Chuck and Barbara are committed to supporting the work of the faculty and to offering an innovative liberal arts curriculum that prepares students for global leadership.”
Learn more about the Ohio Wesleyan curriculum at https://www.owu.edu/academics/.
Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 47 states and 57 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.