A nationwide search for the sixth dean of Hendricks Chapel is underway and should be completed by January 1.

‘It’s an ambitious timeline, but we’re eager to get somebody in place full-time so that person can begin to build on the programming there,’ said Barbara Fought, chair of the 13-person dean search committee and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech.

The position has been officially available since former Hendricks dean, Thomas Wolfe, was appointed interim senior vice president and dean of student affairs in June 2008. His title became permanent four months later. Kelly Sprinkle, the Protestant chaplain, was named interim dean of Hendricks.

The dean of Hendricks oversees religious life on campus so that all faiths feel welcome and have a place at the university, Wolfe said. He or she also manages chaplains and various campus religious organizations in addition to serving the university in times of celebration and grief.

The search officially began in early July 2009, after a publicity campaign and recruitment, Fought said. Fought declined to report the total number of applicants or the number of individuals still in contention for the position.

‘We have had a large number of applicants … and we’ve been pleased with the pool that we have gotten: a wide diversity of people from a variety of faith traditions and a variety of experiences,’ she said. ‘We’re in the process of narrowing down that pool.’

Sprinkle, the current interim dean, said he applied for the permanent position.

‘For me, I want it to be a fair search,’ he said. ‘I want the best person in the job, and so, whether I’m the next dean or not, that’s sort of immaterial to me. I want the best person in the job that can represent the values and core of what the university’s religious life is.’

‘From the very beginning, it was announced that there would be a search for the position,’ Wolfe said.

As the committee narrows its search, it will conduct phone interviews and eventually invite candidates to campus.

Wolfe, who will make the final decision, said filling the position as soon as possible will benefit the chapel and the university. The deadline is flexible in case more time is needed, he said, but the search is currently on track to be completed by January.

‘It’s very much an administrative position,’ Fought said. ‘But yet, I think the dean plays an important role on campus as being a person who is a symbol of the religious life and the openness for religious life. We’re looking for a person who is well-steeped in his or her own tradition but also very open to exploring interfaith opportunities and supporting all of the various faith traditions and groups.’

Sprinkle could return to his former job as the chapel’s protestant chaplain, which he held for four years starting in 2004, Wolfe said. The position is currently being held on an interim basis by Tomi Jacobs. Sprinkle said he’s keeping his options open.

Wherever he winds up next year, he said he’s enjoyed his time spent as dean.

‘On some level, it’s like a free audition or free dress rehearsal,’ Sprinkle said. ‘Coming to the end of it, I still imagine myself doing this, if not here, then somewhere else.’

bmdavies@syr.edu

Published on September 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm