Startup Administrative Team Named for New College

The startup leadership team for Sam Houston State University's newly formed College of Humanities and Social Sciences is complete.

Following the recent naming of Terry Thibodeaux, former associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as interim dean, a long-time SHSU faculty member and a relative newcomer have been named interim associate deans.

A. Jerry Bruce Jr., professor of psychology and a former department chair who has taught at Sam Houston State since 1970, is one of the selections. Bruce earned his doctorate in 1972 and master's in 1968 from the University of Georgia, after receiving his bachelor's in 1964 from Anderson University in Indiana.

Also named was Kandi Tayebi, associate professor of English, who served as director of the graduate program in English in addition to her teaching duties for two years since joining Sam Houston State in 1999. Tayebi has previously taught at the University of Northern Colorado and University of Denver and completed her doctorate in English at the University of Denver in 1991.

While they are already busy with their new responsibilities, Thibodeaux said they will not officially begin work until June 1, and the new college will not begin operation until the 2004 fall semester.

Headquarters for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences will be in Frels 130. Until renovations are completed in that area, the new administrative team can be found in their present offices.

"I'm extremely excited about the work that we have ahead, as are Drs. Bruce and Tayebi," said Thibodeaux. "Our goal is to make the transfer of departments go so smoothly that students and faculty will hardly notice, and the changes will all be positive."

The new college will encompass the psychology/philosophy, family/consumer sciences, history, mass communication, English/foreign language, political science, sociology and speech communication departments.

The idea of forming a new college has been discussed by the faculty for several years, as the College of Arts and Sciences grew to more than 20 departments. Even after the split, however, arts and sciences will remain the university's largest college.

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
May 13, 2004
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