Congratulations to CS alumnus Daniel G. Anderson for his new position as the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon. Esma Celebioglu conducted a short interview with Daniel to learn more about this new position. Read below to see his responses.
Could you briefly explain your new position? What are your primary duties as the Dean of Arts and Sciences?
As Dean, I supervise faculty across the full spectrum of academic disciplines. If you enroll at BMCC with the intention of transferring to a four year school to complete a baccalaureate degree, then your professors' boss is me. I also serve on a number of committees, resolve disputes, and do the administrative tasks that keep the educational trains running on time.
How does your educational background on Cultural Studies contribute to your professional career?
Cultural Studies made a more flexible and more tactical thinker of me. Then interdisciplinary aspect of the CS project has also been indispensable. I think the community college mission aligns well with the aspirations behind many CS projects too.
Do you have any advice for colleagues regarding thier time at Cultural Studies and/or on the job market?
Don't be myopic. Think strategically about what you want, and find opportunities to get the experiences you need to get the stepping stone job or jobs you need to get there. I set myself the goal of becoming an academic dean at a community college. My path involved volunteering for academic assessment projects no one else wanted to do, and that opened onto a full time job as an assessment coordinator, which I was able to leverage along with other teaching and management experience to get interviews for academic dean positions at certain community colleges. BMCC has been an excellent fit and I am delighted to be here.
March 11, 2019