Posted by Julia Martin
Professor of Government Beau Breslin has been appointed Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs following a nationwide search. Breslin will enter into his new responsibilities immediately, having served as interim Dean and Vice President since June.
The Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs is the second-ranking administrator at Skidmore who works closely with other members of President Philip A. Glotzbach's administrative team. Breslin will serve as the president's primary academic adviser for all academic endeavors.
"We had an extraordinarily strong pool of applicants, and choosing the finalists wasn't easy," said Sarah Goodwin, professor of English and co-chair of the search committee with President Glotzbach. "We went into the process very open to the prospect of hiring an outside candidate, someone from another college. But as the process unfolded, Beau Breslin became our first choice. There was a strong sense of support for Beau in the community."
Breslin received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and earned his B.A. degree from Hobart College. In 2008 he received Skidmore's Ralph A. Ciancio Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and was elected by the 2004 graduating class to deliver the faculty address at commencement.
Breslin has written two books, "The Communitarian Constitution" and "From Words to Worlds: Exploring Constitutional Functionality" and is under contract for a third book, "The Generational Constitution: Jefferson, Madison and the Call for Periodic Constitutional Renewal."
Kaleigh Kahn '13, a member of the search committee, described the selection process as worthwhile.
"The selection process was a long and involved one, and required a lot of time throughout the entire semester," Kahn said. "However, I thought it was really rewarding-especially the interviews with the candidates themselves. I feel like it gave me a new perspective to the way Skidmore operates and how it views itself and its students."
"Our conviction is that he is the right person for this position now, that he will help us to sustain our momentum on several initiatives and that he can work very well with the faculty and with the Cabinet," Goodwin said. "It's the college's good fortune that Beau is willing to take on this very tough, demanding job."