Jeffrey Chamberlain announced Monday that he will be stepping down as the inaugural dean of the University of North Florida’s Hicks Honors College, according to UNF Provost Karen Patterson.
Patterson said art history professor Peter Scott Brown has been appointed interim dean.
Throughout his tenure as dean, Chamberlain said he has worked to grow the program, offer valuable opportunities to Honors students, collaborate with other programs on campus and raise the College’s local and national profile.
In the fall of 2017, the Honors College had a class of 187 first-time-in-college students—this upcoming fall, it will have 324.
Chamberlain said he is working towards retirement and moving out of state when he steps down from the position.
“My satisfaction and joy in the job has been working with wonderful students and seeing them grow and flourish,” Chamberlain said. It goes without saying that I will miss the students, but it will also be hard to part from the colleagues with whom I have worked so closely over the years.”
A recently published monograph by Chamberlain argues that Honors deans are unlike any other because of their close working relationships with students from various disciplines and backgrounds.
Interim Dean Brown holds a doctorate in the history of art from Yale University, can speak or read eight languages, and is a prolific speaker and published author. He has received a SECAC Award for Excellence in Scholarly Research and an Illumination Book Award Bronze Medal for his books.
Brown currently serves as vice chair of the MOCA Board of Trustees, and according to Patterson, he is admired by his colleagues and students alike.
“The thriving college he has helped to build plays a special role at UNF, attracting and connecting talented students with diverse interests to great teachers, innovative programs, and new opportunities,” Brown said. “I have enjoyed and benefitted from working with Honors as a teacher for many years.”
Chamberlain will officially step down on June 21, and Brown will begin his time as interim dean.
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