Interim Honors College dean preparing to lead

Administration changes at the dean’s office this summer will not…

Administration changes at the dean’s office this summer will not affect the operations of Pitt’s Honors College, said the new interim dean.

Last week Pitt announced a new interim dean of the Honors College, economics professor Steve Husted. Since then, he has started to prepare for the job he will hold until the next dean is selected.

Husted, who will take office August 1, has been a professor in Pitt’s economics department since 1980. He served as dean of graduate research from 1999 to 2005 and designed and taught the Introduction to Macroeconomics course for the Honors College.

Husted will replace the late dean, Glenn Alexander Stewart, who passed away April 7.

Stewart has a list of admirable credentials. He designed and piloted Pitt’s honors program, which became the Honors College in 1986.

Since being named interim dean, Husted has begun to prepare for the job he will take in more than a month.

“I have some pretty big shoes to fill,” Husted said.

On the road to his new job, Husted has received briefings from the Honors College staff on current events, duties of the dean and upcoming decisions that he will have to make as dean.

In addition to meeting with administration, Husted met with students, professors and donors to prepare for his unique role as dean of the Honors College.

“I’m a little daunted by the task,” Husted said. “I hope that I’m up to it.”

The Honors College’s process of selecting a new dean is unique compared to other schools at Pitt. With other schools, Provost James V. Maher usually takes recommendations on a new dean from faculty members. But with the Honors College, which does not have an exclusive faculty, Maher relies heavily on the staff and the faculty that teach honors courses.

Maher, who intends to retire to a faculty position this year, said that he was confident in selecting Husted in one of his last decisions as provost.

“I think Professor Husted will do a great job,” he said.

The search for the next dean, Husted’s replacement, will continue under the yet-to-be-named new provost — Maher’s replacement — when he takes office.

The operations of the Honors College will continue uninterrupted while the search goes on, Husted said.

There’s a very good group of staff here,” Husted said. “Although clearly, Stewart provided something unique.”

The Honors College has no plans to make drastic changnes in the near future. Both Husted and Maher said that long-term planning and changes would wait for the next dean of the Honors College.

Husted thinks of his role as more of “stewarding,” rather than changing, the Honors College.

“I was selected to help them continue as they have,” he said.