UNT deans Davis and Turner stepping down; search under way for replacements

The process of filling two dean positions is now under way at UNT. D. Jack Davis, dean of the School of Visual Arts since its creation in 1992, plans to resign his position at the end of August, and Philip Turner, who has served simultaneously as dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences and associate vice president for academic affairs for distance education since 1996, is stepping down from the deanship when a new dean is hired to assume an increased role in directing online academic programs.

D. Jack Davis

Davis was the first dean of the UNT School of Visual Arts, created in 1992 when the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reclassified the art department, acknowledging the quality and professional nature of art degrees at UNT. Under his leadership, the School of Visual Arts has defined its structure, increased its enrollment and secured nearly $7 million in external support.

"Serving as dean has been a very rewarding experience," he says, "largely because of the tremendous faculty and staff with whom I have been privileged to work. Together, we have made many strides and I take great pride, as I am sure they do, in the high-quality programs that we offer, the tremendous students that we have been able to recruit and the graduates that we have produced. We have clearly become not only one of the largest visual arts programs in the country but one of the best."

After taking a semester's leave, Davis plans to return to the faculty to teach half time and to serve as the director of the North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts on a half-time basis.

He first joined UNT in 1971 as a professor of art. During his tenure with the university, he has served as chair of the Department of Art from 1976 to 1983, associate vice president for academic affairs from 1983 to 1985 and vice provost from 1985 to 1993. In addition, Davis has served as co-director of the North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts since 1990.

Before joining UNT, Davis served on the art faculty at Texas Tech University, the University of Minnesota, Wayland Baptist University and Baylor University, as well as taught in the Waco public schools.

He earned his bachelor's degree in art education and master's in education from Baylor University and received his Ph.D. in art education from the University of Minnesota. He also received a certificate in appraisal studies for fine and decorative arts from New York University.

Philip Turner

At the beginning of Turner's tenure as dean, SLIS enrollment was 327 graduate students, making it one of the largest programs of its kind in the country. UNT's distance learning program, which is defined as courses offered through technology to students off campus — such as web-based instruction and videoconferencing — consisted of a single video conference room. Today, SLIS enrollment is 1,020 graduate students and the distance learning program has become the largest in the state, serving more than 6,000 students.

"Both positions have grown to such an extent that it is important to separate them and bring in a new dean who can work solely with the faculty and staff of SLIS to ensure continued success," says Turner.

Turner created a program using distance education technology to provide access to the master's in library and information sciences programs to students across Texas and around the nation. Currently, UNT has more than 100 students in Houston, El Paso and San Antonio and also in all four time zones nationally. The Texas Center for Digital Knowledge, created under Turner's leadership, has served as a focus for funded interdisciplinary research.

"Leaving the deanship is the most difficult professional decision in my 27 years in higher education. SLIS has an outstanding faculty and staff and it has been a delight to share so many accomplishments with them. However, I am delighted that I will be able to continue my teaching and research at SLIS," says Turner, who will continue as a SLIS faculty member.

Before coming to UNT, he served as dean of the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies. Also during that time he was the assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Alabama System.

A national search for a new library school dean will begin with the goal of filling the position by Sept. 1, 2004.

BY KELLEY REESE AND RUFUS COLEMAN kreese@unt.edu rcoleman@unt.edu

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• Mean Green to revisit New Orleans Bowl
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• UNT System names Footer to counsel post
• SECC drive tops $151,000
• Faculty concerns heard at senate meeting
• Dangerous winter weather brings possibility for closures
• Murphy Enterprise Center awards prizes
• Getty: You can have dessert, just don't eat too much of it

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