Written by Emma Jones // Photo by Madison Meyer
University administration announced April 12 the appointment of Amy Cox as the associate dean of the new College of Arts and Sciences.
An email with the announcement was sent to the faculty from Associate Provost of Academic Affairs Dana Steil, who will be serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences when the colleges of Arts and Humanities and Sciences merge, starting in the 2023-24 academic year.
“Amy was selected for this position because of her proven leadership and management skills, professionalism, care for our students and faculty, experience with program development, excellent communication skills and ability to challenge the status quo thoughtfully,” Steil said in the email. “Associate Dean Cox will work closely with the dean and department chairs to provide academic and administrative leadership.”
Cox currently serves as an associate professor and chair of the Art and Design Department, where she started as faculty in 2001 and as chair in 2020. She is also currently the Faculty Leadership Council vice president and will be serving as FLC president next year.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside many talented and dedicated fellow faculty members, and I look forward to continuing my service in this new role,” Cox said.
According to Steil, the majority of Cox’s role at the University will continue to be teaching. As associate dean, her main duty will be ensuring faculty members have a voice and play a role in the administration of the college, and assisting Steil as he develops policies and a strategic vision for the college.
“My roles as both a program director and chair have given me a better understanding of the unique responsibilities and workload these important jobs require,” Cox said. “One of my goals is to foster a collaborative environment between faculty, departments and administration as we enter this next chapter in Harding’s history.”
Steil, who currently serves as an associate professor of computer science, said he thinks his and Cox’s varied backgrounds will work well together.
“I believe we bring together a combination of artistic design [and] creativity and analytical design [and] creativity that God will use as a blessing for the college,” Steil said.
Assistant professor of art Tessa Davidson has worked with Cox since Davidson began teaching in the art department in 2011. Davidson said Cox’s traits as a strong, caring and personable leader will lend themselves to her role as associate dean.
“We are excited about this opportunity for her, and we are glad her skills and gifts can be used for the broader community,” Davidson said. “We will miss having her as our department chair — but I guess we can’t hog her gifts all to ourselves.”
The leadership team for the College of Arts and Sciences will consist of Steil, Cox, Drs. Debbie Duke and Jim Miller as assistant deans, and department chairs. Steil said in his email that a chair search for the Department of Art and Design will begin soon.
