Glaser takes over Inouye's position

Former Political Science Department Chair James Glaser will be taking over Dean Inouye's position as Dean of the Colleges starting this week. The turnover comes with a host of administrative changes and restructuring, and a change in the definition of the job.

Glaser's new title is Dean of Undergraduate Education. While Inouye held the position, it was titled Dean of the Colleges and was a part-time position.

Glaser will be taking over full time and will have the same responsibilities and title of Inouye's predecessors with the addition of implementing the Task Force Report. Glaser was a member of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience for the past two years, which according to Dean of Arts & Sciences Susan Ernst is a "fantastic plus." Inouye also served on the Task Force.

Glaser considers the implementation of the Task Force to be the most exciting aspect of his job. It is a "change, not maintaining the status quo," he said. "It's movement towards the bigger and better."

Glaser is particularly enthusiastic about implementing a four-year writing program and the plans to build a caf?© in Tisch, to be called the Library Caf?©.

Though he remains conscious of the amount of money it would require to turn Tufts over to a Residential College system, he considers the idea "an exciting possibility."

Starting next May, the University will put one of the Task Force's proposals to use during Commencement Ceremonies. Tufts will use a two-part ceremony, one including the entire class and then a second "more friendly and meaningful ceremony with the separate departments," meant to create a "more intimate setting."

The changes in the Commencement Ceremonies are representative of the greater institutional change suggested by the Task Force. Glaser described this as "building and creating experiences and attaching people to the community."

Glaser said that some of the administrative changes surrounding his position took place because they made sense bureaucratically. Previously Inouye didn't supervise the Class Deans or Academic Services. Ernst emphasized the need for the change. "Academic programs need to be reporting to academic deans," she said.

Inouye stepped down as Dean of Colleges late last year partially because he felt that he could not fully execute the job as only a part time position. He recommended, and Ernst supported a decision to make the position full-time.

Inouye has returned full-time to the Japanese Department, where he is, among other projects, co-teaching a class entitled "East-West Perspectives on Fascism: Germany and Japan."

The change in position title and increased status indicates a return to historical norms, for what was once a more influential position before Inouye's tenure.

Glaser was chosen for this position over the summer after a brief search. An e-mail was sent to students and faculty asking for their suggestions for the new position.

Ernst preferred that the new dean come from Tufts. "Within Arts and Sciences, I feel we have a great deal of internal talent," she said. "When possible, I would like to make those types of promotions internally. We didn't consider doing a national search."

Despite being a full-time dean, Glaser will continue several activities in the political science department. This semester, Glaser will teach "Introduction to American Politics" He is also hopeful about continuing his research on race, ethnicity and class in electoral politics, and writing a book which will be about "political solutions to racial problems."

"I'm in the middle of a big project, I'm not going to abandon that," he said.

Though Glaser said he was excited about the new position, it will be a change for him. "I've been happy here for 13 years," Glaser said. He called the new post an "opportunity to work with the dynamic, exciting administration".

Glaser is originally from St. Louis but he spent much of his time before Tufts on the West Coast. He earned his BA from Stanford and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

The new chair of the Political Science Department will be Vickie Sullivan, currently an associate Professor who specializes in political theory.