July 2, 2009

English professor appointed interim dean for College of Liberal Arts

The appointment, effective Monday (July 6), was announced Thursday (July 2) by Randy Woodson, Purdue's executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

"Bud Weiser is an exceptional scholar, educator and a proven administrator," Woodson said. "His leadership will benefit the College of Liberal Arts during this critical transition period. I am pleased he has agreed to serve in this role. The college serves the entire Purdue community because of its far-reaching disciplinary and interdisciplinary pursuits, as well as student interest from many other areas."

July marks the end of the three-year dean's appointment for John Contreni, who will return to the faculty in the Department of History. He was appointed dean after an internal search in 2006. Weiser will serve in an interim capacity while a national search for the new dean is conducted this academic year. Nancy Peterson, professor and associate head of the English department, will serve as interim head of the department.

"I am very grateful to John Contreni for his outstanding service to the college and university," Woodson said. "During his tenure, the College of Liberal Arts has hired many outstanding scholars and enhanced the visibility and effectiveness of programs through increased engagement with both internal and external constituents."

Weiser has been head of the Department of English since 2002. He has been teaching and administering introductory writing programs, including developmental writing, at Purdue since 1981. His primary area of interest is composition pedagogy, and he has focused his graduate teaching on topics such as writing across the curriculum, writing assessment and composition research methods.

"The College of Liberal Arts has a rich history at Purdue, and I am honored and excited to be part of the college's story as we continue to move forward," Weiser said. "While serving as interim dean, my efforts will be devoted to promoting and supporting research, teaching and engagement activities in the college."

Weiser also served as director of composition from 1986-1995 and 1998-2002. He came to Purdue in 1981 after working at Tennessee Technological University, Illinois State University, University of Louisville and Indiana University. He earned his doctorate and master's degrees from Indiana University in 1976 and 1973, respectively. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1971 from Miami University of Ohio.

The College of Liberal Arts encompasses 12 academic departments: anthropology; communication; English; foreign languages and literatures; health and kinesiology; history; philosophy; political science; psychological sciences; sociology; speech, language and hearing sciences; and visual and performing arts.

The college is home to a variety of interdisciplinary programs, including African-American studies, American studies, Asian studies, Asian-American studies, classical studies, comparative literature, film studies, global studies, Italian studies, Jewish studies, Latin-American and Latino studies, linguistics, medieval and Renaissance studies, peace studies, philosophy and literature, religious studies, and women's studies.

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

Sources: Randy Woodson, 765-494-9709, woodson@purdue.edu

Irwin "Bud" Weiser, 765-494-6478, iweiser@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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