Thomas named COT Interim Associate Dean

  Thursday, August 25, 2016 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

The faculty and staff at the Pittsburg State College of Technology shouldn’t have any trouble remembering the first names of its two new leaders.

Just months after welcoming Tim Dawsey as dean of the Pittsburg State College of Technology and executive director of the Kansas Technology Center, another Tim has been named to the college’s leadership team.

Tim Thomas, a longtime COT faculty member and former department chair, has been named the college’s first associate dean. Thomas will serve as associate dean on an interim basis while the university conducts a national search for the position.

In this new interim role, Thomas will work alongside Dawsey to lead the COT into a new era of progress and advancement.

“I have tremendous respect and passion for the College of Technology at Pitt State, and I look forward to helping lead the college in this new role of interim associate dean,” Thomas said. “I’m excited to work with Dean Dawsey and the faculty and staff to further enhance and promote the academic excellence that the COT has long enjoyed.”

The position of associate dean was created this year to provide further support to the dean and faculty, said Pitt State Provost Lynette Olson. Thomas, as interim associate dean, will handle many of the daily, on-campus duties within the College of Technology. His focus will be primarily on the academic side of the college’s operations. That support will allow Dawsey, as dean, to focus on building creative partnerships and interfacing with business and industry.

“This is a new leadership model for the College of Technology, and it’s one we’re very excited about,” Olson said. “Tim Thomas has long been an admired and devoted member of our COT faculty, and his experience will prove invaluable in his new role as interim associate dean.”

Dawsey said he’s grateful to have Thomas by his side.

“You couldn’t ask for a better leadership partner than Tim Thomas,” Dawsey said. “I’m incredibly lucky and grateful to begin my term as dean with Professor Thomas as the interim associate dean. He’s a brilliant, hard-working educator who will provide tremendous support to me and the entire college team.”