Philosophy Professor Cheryl Hughes won the McLain-McTurnan-Arnold Award for Excellence in Teaching at Wabash College last year, and now has opened her horizons to an administrative job beyond that of teaching. With a new office, new paperwork, and a new title, Associate Dean of the College Professor Cheryl Hughes is still learning the ropes in her new position.
“The transition is very weird,” Professor Hughes said with a chuckle. “I think I know how to teach after about sixteen to seventeen years, and I’m constantly changing and developing courses. But this is so different and new. I’m slowly getting clearer about what to do and how to do it.”
Hughes explained that she hasn’t started a new job since she started here. Yet she has had a background in administrative work at Wabash, just not full time like she does now. “It’s going from ‘I know my job’ to ‘What am I doing?’ “Hughes said with a smile.
It is not a slow transition though for Hughes; She went straight to work in her new job as Associate Dean of the College. Hughes is working with Dean Gary Philips and Dean Julie Olsen in particular on faculty development. Hughes is also operating closely with Professor Tim Lake and the Malcolm X Institute as they develop and expand their programs at Wabash. To add even more to the list, Hughes is working on some new grants that the school either already has through the GLCA or is preparing to propose to foundations.
“I’m filling in as needed, and as I said I’m still learning what else I might do, but I am going to continue to teach. I’m not teaching a formal class right now. I’m helping with a philosophy senior seminar which is pretty minimal, and substituting for C&T. But next year I will teach a course each semester.”
Hughes clarified how the job was created through the search for a new dean. ““I was on the hiring committee to search for the new dean of the college, and that committee went into that process with the understanding that the position has grown enormously. We went into that search with the idea in mind that a new dean ought to think about the position and how to get the work done.”
Hughes illuminated the expansive Wabash College and thus the expanding job of the dean. “There’s the Center of Inquiry and the Liberal Arts which is now doing national work on liberal arts education. There’s also the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning Theology. Those are new editions that the dean has to oversee. Our faculty and programs have grown as well.”
With the new increasing jobs of the dean it became evident for those on the hiring committee that the dean was going to need help. “I’m taking things off the desk of the dean so that I can work with him, talk with him.” Hughes made clear. “He’s not ignoring these things on his desk but I can give them attention, push, and make sure that we move forward and make progress. This is a position I think that is targeted towards having a faculty person step into it, do this work for three years and then go back to teaching full time. Then a new person from the faculty who has a different set of skills, special knowledge or abilities can step in and be of assistance.”
Hughes agreed to three years with the job, and then she will go back to teaching full time. Similar to this job of the Associate Dean’s is the jobs of the division chairs. The division chairs provide 3-5 years of leadership and then someone else rotates into the previous position and helps with the work load. “This method lets us teachers keep our focus on teaching and working with students, while still getting the administrative work done.”
Hughes’ new job is bittersweet though because even though she is able to experience something new, she is distanced from what she has been familiar with her whole career at Wabash, her students. “It’s challenging and it’s interesting to be in a place where you can see how things might connect. If you’re just in a single department you might not see those connections.
That’s one of the things I didn’t think I would see from this point of view as Administrative Dean in the beginning.” Hughes said speaking of the benefits of the new administrative job.
“I do miss teaching full time though, but being able to continue teaching I think will help me keep active in teaching, stay in touch with the students, and contribute to the philosophy program. The students still stop by and see me.” Hughes lit up when speaking of her students.
Hughes ended with a laugh and a grin “I’d rather not be called Dean Hughes, It feels very weird. My students know me as Professor Hughes and that feels just fine.”