College of Health and Human Sciences dean finalists to participate in open forums

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The four finalists selected as candidates for the dean of Purdue University's College of Health and Human Sciences will participate in open forums on campus in October and November.

"The search advisory committee is very pleased with these four candidates, and we encourage people to attend the public forums so they can learn about these leaders," said Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and search committee chair. "Purdue's new college is off to a great start, and selecting the dean is the next step in moving the college forward."

The College of Health and Human Sciences was launched in July 2010 as part of Purdue's New Synergies strategic plan to realign nine academic units and elevate Purdue's reputation in health and human sciences. Christine Ladisch, professor of consumer science, has served as the college's inaugural dean.

All forums will take place in Pfendler Hall's Deans Auditorium. The candidates and their forum dates are:

* Jack Turman Jr., professor and program director of the Division of Physical Therapy Education at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. His open forum is 10 a.m. Oct. 25.

* Michael Delp, professor and chair of the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida. His open forum is 2:30 p.m. Oct. 29.

* Ronald T. Brown, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Wayne State University and professor of psychology. His open forum is 11 a.m. Nov. 5.

* Christine Ladisch, inaugural dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue. Her open forum is 2 p.m. Nov. 15.

There are more than 4,500 undergraduate and 500 graduate students in the College of Health and Human Sciences, as well as 207 faculty and 391 staff members. The college is home to the departments of Consumer Science; Health and Kinesiology; Human Development and Family Studies; Nutrition Science; Psychological Sciences; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; and the schools of Health Sciences, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Nursing. The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences was recently ranked nationally. The college's nine distinguished professors are in the departments of Psychological Sciences; Human Development and Family Studies; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; and Nutrition Science. The Department of Nutrition Science also is home to a member of the Institute of Medicine.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu