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The office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at William & Mary "strives to meet the needs of individual departments and programs; promotes excellence across Arts and Sciences as a whole; and represents the priorities of Arts & Sciences to the larger university community and to such external constituencies as parents, alumni, and grant-funding agencies."

Dean of the Faculty and Dean of the College

In 1905, the Dean of the Faculty was created with John Lesslie Hall (Professor of English and History, 1888-1928) as its first Dean from 1905-1920 and 1922-1928. At this time, William & Mary also had a Dean of the College that looked after the affairs of the faculty with Kremer J. Hoke (Professor of Education, 1920-1944) as its Dean from 1922-1934. In 1938, the Dean of the College was renamed to Dean of the Faculty with James Wilkinson Miller (Professor of Philosophy, 1935-1955) as Dean from 1938-1946. In 1951, when Nelson Marshall (Professor of Biology, 1949-1951) resigned as Dean of the College, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty was reestablished and replaced the duties of the Dean of the College. James Wilkinson Miller (Professor of Philosophy, 1935-1955) served as the new Dean of the Faculty from 1951-1952. Charles Marsh (Professor of Economics and Business Administration, 1930-1958) was the next Dean of the Faculty and served from 1952-1958. From 1958-1964, W. Melville Jones (Professor of English, 1928-1971), served as Dean of the Faculty.

In 1964, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences was created and took over all the functions of the Dean of the Faculty.

List of Deans

  • John Lesslie Hall, 1905-1928 (Dean of the Faculty, 1905-1920, 1922-1928)
  • Kremer J. Hoke, 1928-1938 (Dean of the College, 1922-1934)
  • James Wilkinson Miller, 1938-1946 (Dean of the Faculty)
  • Sharvy G. Umbeck, 1946-1949
  • Nelson Marshall, 1949-October 11, 1951 (Dean of the College)
  • James Wilkinson Miller, October 11, 1951-February 1, 1952 (Dean of the Faculty)
  • Charles F. Marsh, February 1, 1952-1959(Dean of the Faculty)
  • W. Melville Jones, 1959-1965 (Dean of the Faculty)
  • Harold L. Fowler, 1965-1974 (Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences)
  • Jack D. Edwards, 1974-1981
  • Zeddie Paul Bowen, 1981-1983
  • Jack D. Edwards, 1983-1984 (Acting Dean)
  • Melvin P. Schiavelli, 1984-1986
  • Thomas M. Finn, 1986-1987
  • David J. Lutzer, 1987-1995
  • Carol Nagy Jacklin, 1995-1996
  • Robert B. Archibald, 1996-1997 (Interim)
  • P. Geoffrey Feiss, 1997-2003
  • Barbara A. Watkinson, 2003-2004 (Interim)
  • Carl Strikwerda, 2004-2011
  • Gene Tracy, 2011-2012 (Interim)
  • Kate Conley, 2012-

 

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A note about the contents of this site

This website contains the best available information from known sources at the time it was written. Unfortunately, many of the early original records of William & Mary were destroyed by fires, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information in this website is not complete, and it changes as we continue to research and uncover new sources.