Dear Carleton Faculty, Staff, and Students,
Scott Bierman, Carleton College’s dean of the college, has accepted a position as the new Beloit College (Wis.) president, effective July 1, 2009. There is no denying that Scott’s coming departure is a major loss for Carleton, but my chief reaction remains ‘Good for Scott and good for Beloit College, to both of whom we offer our congratulations.’
Scott has served Carleton since 1982, teaching in the economics department before assuming leadership first as associate dean of the college from 2003-05 and then as Dean of the College since 2005.
A 1977 graduate of Bates College, Scott earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia in 1985. His fields of interest and expertise include economics of the public sector, industrial organization, game theory and experimental economics.
After serving as an instructor at Virginia from 1981-82, Scott came to Carleton and served in the same capacity from 1982-85. He was elevated to the assistant professor ranks in 1985, then to associate professor status in 1989 before reaching the full professor category in 1996. Among his professional accomplishments include co-authoring multiple editions of interactive economic tutorial software to accompany leading principles of economics textbooks, with Todd Proebsting; and co-authoring two editions of his textbook, Game Theory with Economic Applications, with professor Luis Fernandez.
I’ve been blessed, over the past 20 years, to have worked with many first-rate academic leaders, but none finer than Scott Bierman. Scott’s leadership roles for which we are most grateful include: his creative and successful work on the Arts Planning Committee and beyond as we have planned Carleton’s Arts Union; Scott’s working with the faculty to shape the new set of graduation requirements on which the faculty will vote early next month; his skillful and aggressive leadership of our move to a five-course teaching load; his markedly productive role in helping to shape many of our successful external grant proposals; and much more.
Still, it is working with Scott personally that I most will miss. Our weekly meetings are as productive as they are enjoyable and always have been among the weekly deliberations to which I have most looked forward. We all will miss Scott’s leadership, his abundant sense of humor, his creative problem-solving skills, and much more, even as we salute him and Beloit, knowing that Scott’s presidency will be one of advancing Beloit and higher education more broadly.
I plan to meet with professor Mary Savina, president of the faculty, and to consult widely with members of the faculty before determining interim arrangements in appointing Scott’s successor.
Rob Oden