Two deans announce future plans

The deans of the School of Humanities and the Jones Graduate School of Business plan to return to the faculty.

Nicolas Shumway

Nicolas Shumway has been reappointed dean of humanities but plans to step down in three years.

“Nick has requested that this appointment end on June 30, 2017, so that he may return to fully engage in scholarship and teaching at Rice,” Provost George McLendon told faculty in a recent email. “President Leebron and I have agreed to this request. We are grateful for Nick’s leadership of and service to the School of Humanities.

“The faculty and staff of the School of Humanities praise Dean Shumway for his decisive and inclusive leadership as well as his efforts in raising funds for the School of Humanities,” McLendon said. “President Leebron and I thank Nick for raising the school’s international profile, not only with the dual doctoral degree program in history with Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), but also for his focus on improving international education for undergraduates. He has also successfully worked to raise graduate stipends for humanities students. As dean, Nick has worked proactively to recruit and retain humanities faculty.”

William Glick

McLendon also announced that Bill Glick, dean of the Jones School for the past nine years, also wishes to return to the faculty. “Given the transition in the provost’s office, we have asked Bill to remain through the 2015-16 academic year so that the next provost can participate in the search for his successor, and Bill has graciously agreed,” McLendon said.

“During Bill’s term as dean, the Jones Graduate School of Business experienced exceptional growth,” McLendon said. “We wish to thank Bill for his remarkable record of accomplishment over the past decade, which reflects extraordinary dedication to the Jones School and to Rice University.”

Among Glick’s accomplishments that McLendon cited were increased enrollment through the addition of new programs like the MBA for Professionals, the undergraduate business minor, the Ph.D. program and the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program, and McLendon noted that the Jones School also established higher admission standards and increased faculty research productivity and outcomes for alumni. In addition, the school’s overall ranking by U.S. News and World Report increased from No. 49 to No. 33 under Glick’s leadership, and both the full-time and executive MBA programs rank second nationally for the percentage of salary increase from program entry to three years out.