Branch campuses secure new top administrators

Two colleges within the University of Cincinnati will welcome new deans this July.

Five of the 16 colleges at UC have interim deans: Raymond Walters College, Clermont College, the College of Business, the College-Conservatory of Music and School of Social Work.

Outgoing Provost Anthony Perzigian — who commends the interim deans on their admirable performance — claims search committees did not appoint full-time replacements because of UC’s academic restructuring.

“There hasn’t been much change in leadership,” Perzigian said, reiterating that the seemingly large amount of incoming deans at UC is normal.

UC’s Board of Trustees approved Raymond Walters College and Clermont College’s full-time deans Tuesday, May 25.

Cady Short-Thompson has been appointed dean for Raymond Walters College and Gregory Sojka has been appointed dean of Clermont College.

There are talks of the new dean of College of Business being appointed in the near future, though it is too soon for anyone to be named, Perzigian said.

The current interim dean of Raymond Walters, Donald O’Meara, believes incoming dean Sojka will do a great job and is happy to see him take the position. O’Meara has taken his job very seriously and, in his duties, has never considered himself an interim dean.
Sojka comes from the University of Rio Grande, where he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs from 1994 through 2006 and president from 2006 through 2008.

Short-Thompson, a lifelong resident of Wyoming, Ohio, will be coming to UC from Northern Kentucky University where she currently serves as chair of the Communication Department.

Both Sojka and Short-Thompson’s positions are effective July 1.