Your View: Outgoing Dean Corrects Last Week's Article

Editor, The Auburn Plainsman

I am writing to indicate that the headline "Reaccreditation Causes Dean to Retire" in a front-page story of the October 22 Plainsman was a misrepresentation of a well-written and accurate article by Mr. Blake Hamilton.

As the focus of the story, it is to be noted that I am not "retiring," but plan to step down as Dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics and to continue to devote my time to Auburn University by returning to teaching and research as a professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

Furthermore, for the headline to suggest that I was leaving my position because of reaccreditation implies that I was backing away from the responsibility.

On the contrary, COSAM is in an excellent position for its role in the University's reaccreditation, but I did not see myself as Dean in 2013 (4 years from now), when the on-site evaluation will occur, and believed that it would put my successor at a disadvantage to take on such a crucial process without the option of being involved in the early data gathering and analysis steps with a vision to the future.

With that said, I regret that more care was not taken in reading Mr. Blake's article in determining a more appropriate and descriptive headline to accompany it.

Similar quality control should have been accorded the name associated with the photo that was associated with the article.

Stew Schneller

Dean, College of Sciences

and Mathematics

Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry