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First Contact List for Liberal Arts

To assist you in knowing who to contact in the College of Liberal Arts dean’s office for questions you might have, please see the information below for a list of dean’s office staff and the areas for which each is responsible:

Leslie Burns, Director of Financial Affairs / Administration:

  • Business office operations (College Level)
  • University expenditure policies
  • Proposal review & approval
  • Budgets & account management (College & Departmental)
  • Business office operations (departmental)
  • Business policies & procedures (department, CLA, & University)
  • Employee pay & benefits, including job classification & leave policies
  • Faculty searches
  • Proposal review & approval
  • University expenditure policies
  • Faculty searches & new hire questions

Melinda Corne, Executive Administrative Assistant to Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts

  • Dean’s calendar
  • Department head meetings (schedule; minutes; agenda)
  • Interview schedules between candidates & dean & his senior staff
  • Search coordination for dean’s senior staff

 CLA Web Team

CLA Marketing and Communications Team

Click here to submit a ticket or explore resources: 

  https://www.cla.purdue.edu/resources/digital-media/index.html 

Julie Esterline, HR Business Partner:

  • Administrative/Professional staff liaison
  • A/P staff development fund competition
  • A/P staff networking program
  • CLA Staff Evaluation Procedures
  • Personnel issues, harassment, & other complaints
  • Staff searches
  • Human Resources Liaison
  • Staff Employee Relations/Human Resources
  • Coordinate staff VEPR requests

Kristy Foster, Senior Director of Operations:

  • Strategic Initiatives: Lead the implementation of college-wide, cross-office strategic priorities and business operations as identified by the Dean.
  • Alumni & Development Bridge: Build and maintain the strategic bridge between the College, its alumni, and development initiatives; serve as a key liaison for partnership conversations involving the Purdue for Life Foundation.
  • Leadership & Consultation: Serve as a member of the CLA Leadership Team, advising on projects and collaborating with leadership to develop executive processes across departments and divisions.
  • Partnerships & Representation: Represent the Dean in communications with campus partners, corporate leaders, and community stakeholders; manage high-level entrepreneurial and corporate conversations.
  • Team Oversight: Provide strategic direction and leadership for the college’s marketing and communications, recruitment, and career teams.
  • Project Management: Define project scopes, budgets, and deliverables while monitoring advancement on various college-level projects to mitigate risk and ensure alignment with institutional goals.

Renee Gaarder, Academic Program Manager

  • Academic Program Development (with Assoc. Dean for Undergraduate Education)
  • CLA Curriculum Committee liaison
  • Procedures for processing curriculum changes
  • CLA Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog
  • Teaching Excellence Awards
  • CLA Scholarship Administrator
  • Mentoring and professional development support for unit-level Academic Program Managers

Kristen Hunt, Director of Strategic Data Analytics:

  • Data resources (e.g. Data Digest, Metrics, including metric support for CLA units)

Aaron Kosdrosky, Chief Development Officer:

  • Alumni contacts/participation/engagement visits
  • Fundraising
  • Corporate & foundation funding proposals
  • Purdue for Life (University Development Office) liaison
  • Major gifts/planned gifts/annual gifts
  • Direct mail & solicitations

Alfred J. López, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, International Programs & Indianapolis:

  • Academic Program Development (with Assoc. Dean for Graduate Education)
  • CLA Curriculum committee liaison
  • Procedures for processing curriculum changes
  • CLA Undergraduate Catalog
  • Tracking credit hours & majors (with Data Manager)
  • Course equivalencies, substitutions
  • Course cancellations
  • Center for Instructional Excellence liaison
  • Student retention programs
  • Teaching Excellence Awards
  • Student awards (Mortar Board, commencement responder, etc.)
  • Exploratory Studies program liaison
  • Thayer Scholars Coordinator
  • Commencement
  • Senate & Senate committees (CLA)
  • Student Services
  • Academic advising
  • Undergraduate student recruitment
  • Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, liaison
  • Enrollment, student characteristics
  • Scholarships, departmental & college
  • Dean’s Scholars Program
  • Sponsorship requests
  • Banner-student registration system
  • Outstanding Senior Awards
  • Honorary Degree nominations (procedures)

*Kayla Scott, Lead Administrative Assistant to Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, International Programs & Indianapolis

  • Associate Dean's calendar
  • Undergraduate Curriculum / Plan of Study updates
  • Undergraduate Research (Dammon Dean’s & Wilke programs, OUR liaison)
  • Cornerstone schedule deputy

Cherie Maestas, Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, & Graduate Education:

  • CLA Faculty Development Centers administration, Artistic Endeavors, Social Sciences, Undergraduate Instructional Excellence, Humanistic Studies
  • Research grant programs administration (including PRF, EVPRP/CLA internal programs, ASPIRE, & PROMISE)
  • External grant processing, including cost sharing, monitoring
  • Sponsored Program Services liaison
  • Development of resources for promoting external research funding
  • Cluster initiative in Advanced Social Science Methods (AMAP) w/Jay McCann
  • Further CLA research networks & collaborations
  • Communicating CLA research to various audiences
  • Office of the Vice President for Research, & Associate Deans for Research Council liaison
  • Limited-submission grant competitions
  • Graduate education, awards, & fellowships (Ross, Andrews, Bilsland, Purdue Doctorial Fellowship)
  • Graduate School liaison & Associate Deans for Graduate Education Council
  • Further CLA Graduate student professional development opportunities
  • Federal relations
  • Faculty & Student Research Awards
  • Office of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs liaison, the Graduate School
  • Academic Program Development (with Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education)
  • Fulbright Scholars
  • Hiring of postdocs

 *Kelly Kater, Program Operations and Executive Assistant to Associate Dean of Research, Innovation, & Graduate Education

  • Grant & Fellowship Competitions
  • Graduate Awards
  • Graduate Education Inquiries
  • Research Opportunities
  • PROMISE Grant Application Review

Will Sartore, Assistant Dean of Academic Operations: 

  • International Programs
  • Grade Appeals
  • Honors College liaison
  • Student/parent complaints or questions
  • Office of Engagement liaison

Jen William, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs:

  • College & University academic policies & procedures
  • Promotion & tenure policies & procedures
  • Emeriti faculty nominations
  • New faculty & new department head orientations
  • CLA department head handbook
  • Visiting Scholar Appointments
  • External academic program reviews (department & programs)
  • Equity & affirmative action (liaison with Office for Civil Rights)
  • CLA Senate Committees liaison (except for Curriculum Committee, Educational Policy Committee, & Grade Appeals Committee)
  • Teacher Education Council (Oversees CLA member selection)
  • Provide & analyze Academic Program Assessment Data
  • Member, Academic Programs Assessment
  • Emergency procedures & safety committee (with Dir. Financial Affairs)
  • Coordinate/manage faculty retention requests & faculty hiring process
  • Coordinate/manage sabbatical leave requests & other paid & unpaid faculty leave requests
  • University Faculty Scholars
  • Coordinate faculty VEPR requests
  • Liaison to the Vice Provost Office for Faculty Affairs & campus Associate Deans for Faculty Affairs Council
  • Honorary Degree nominations (procedures)
  • Distinguished Professor (procedures)
  • Emeritus Professor (procedures)

 *Michelle Scott, Lead Administrative Assistant to Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs

  • Associate Dean’s calendar
  • Faculty Hiring
  • Faculty Support Programs
  • Faculty Promotion and Tenure
  • External Academic Program Reviews
  • Promotion & Tenure (schedule; procedures; form 36, Area Committee Faculty Representatives)
  • Annual New Faculty Welcome Breakfast
  • CLA Books and Awards Coordinator
  • College Success Manager
  • College SuccessFactors Subject Matter Expert
  • Form 17C Approvals