Bleeker named College of Liberal Arts and Sciences associate dean

Dr. Gerrit Bleeker has been named associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after two years as the interim associate dean.

Bleeker was appointed after an internal search.

Dr. Bleeker is an outstanding choice for Associate Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences because of his many years of dedication to secondary teacher preparation, to general education, and to high-quality academic advising at ESU," said Dr. Cynthia Patton, professor and chair of the department of English. "We will miss him in the English department, but we know he will make many important contributions to the College and to the university as Associate Dean.

Bleeker is not a stranger to the ESU campus. He has served as a full-time faculty member in the English department for 35 years and served as part-time acting associate dean for two years and as full-time acting associate dean this fall.

According to Bleeker, the transition between being a full-time faculty member and becoming an administrator was made easier because of the range of responsibilities and involvement he has had at ESU over the years.

"Those experiences enabled me to hit the ground running in the Associate Dean's office," he said.

Bleeker's primary duties will be to serve as director of the Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS) online degree program, serve as Director of the General Education Program, serve as liaison between the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Teachers College, and represent the college at various functions and councils in the absence of the dean.

"One goal I have in this position is to expand the BIS online degree program by creating additional online courses and by increasing the number of majors in the program," he said.

Bleeker said he also plans to coordinate efforts between ESU and Flinthills Technical College to offer additional ESU general education courses on the FHTC campus.

Along with his administrative duties, Bleeker will continue to teach at least one course per year.

"I have come to realize that, even though I am not in the classroom as much, I continue teaching, advising, supervising, researching, and best of all, serving both students and faculty. I have come to like the job," he said.

Last Updated July 2, 2007>