Provost Ron Rochon appointed art professor and interim dean Michael Aakhus dean of the College of Liberal Arts Friday.

“I was looking for the strongest candidate possible,” Rochon said.

Aakhus will officially take the position of dean March 1. Until that date he will continue to be titled “interim dean.”

“It’s an honor to be able to lead the College of Liberal Arts,” Aakhus said. “The process was, in its way, challenging, but it gave me the opportunity to present myself along with the other candidates.”

Aakhus filled the position of interim dean when former dean David Glassman stepped down over the summer to take the position of provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Bradley University.

Aakhus has been a part of the art department at USI for 34 years, from teaching to chairing the department.

This was the first major employment decision by Rochon, who was hired as provost last summer.

“The College of Liberal Arts has a history of productivity,” Rochon said. “Key to that success has been strong leadership.”

Rochon also said Aakhus was chosen from a list of candidates from across the country, and people from outside the community are showing interest in USI and what it has to offer.

“The competition was pretty stiff,” Aakhus said.

The College of Liberal Arts is comprised of ten disciplines, and the dean of the college has the added responsibility of the university’s property in New Harmony.

“Michael Aakhus has had a long career at USI,” said Stephen Spencer, chair of the English department. “I hope he leads the college to move forward on the programs we have initiated now…I’m looking forward to working with him as he leads the college and its initiatives.”

After the departure of Glassman, a search committee for a new dean was created. Dean of the Pott College of Science and Engineering Scott Gordon headed the committee that combed through hundreds of applications.

The committee finally narrowed down the applicants to five choices. They announced the first four in pairs, and all were unfamiliar names from other universities.

The last candidate to be announced was Aakhus. Each candidate visited the university and met with different students and boards for several weeks until finally Aakhus was announced as the chosen dean.

Aakhus plans to focus on several things as dean, including the reorganization of New Harmony theatre and trying to create a sustainable program for the New Harmony writer’s workshop, formerly known as the Rope Walk Reading Series.

“There’s additional opportunity to enhance and develop international programs and relationships with other countries, as well as to facilitate new opportunities for students and faculty at USI,” Aakhus said.