As the school year draws to a close, current Dean of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Phil Kosch will officially leave his position, and Scott Sahagian will join the School of Engineering as Executive Associate Dean.
Kosch will resign on June 30, after leading the Vet School for nine years. Under Kosch, Provost Jamshed Bharucha said, the Vet School "is stronger than it has ever been."
The Vet School underwent a period of expansion and growth under Kosch's leadership. "[I'm proud of] the maturation of a young school into an established, mature leader," Kosch said. Currently, it is ranked first out of 28 for entrance exam scores by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC).
Kosch was Dean when state financing for the school was threatened, but "successfully saw the school through a challenging period," Bharucha said.
Since then, the Vet School received a $50 million gift from the Cummings Foundation. Bill Cummings served on the University's Board of Trustees while the Vet School was still young and struggling, Kosch said.
"[Cummings] looked at the Vet School, saw that it was the most entrepreneurial school," Kosch said, and greater resources facilitated further success.
Since then, new facilities were added, including the Luke & Lily Lerner Spay/Neuter Clinic and the Bernice Barbour Wildlife Medicine Building.
During his tenure, Kosch oversaw the union of all veterinary students on the Grafton campus in 2000. Previously, freshmen had to attend classes on Tufts' Boston campus.
"We had to build teaching space on the Grafton campus to move them," Kosch said. "We also unified our faculty because a number of them were teaching on the Boston campus."
Kosch also led the Vet School through the reaccredidation process, which ensures that schools maintain their high standards and remain recognized as a nationally accredited institution.
After schools perform a self-assessment on 11 different standards, an outside team visits the school to substantiate the claims of the self-assessment.
According to Kosch, the Vet school had no trouble securing its reaccredidation. "We were commended on all eleven standards - they just loved us," said Kosch. "We've been fully accredited ever since we opened our doors."
After he steps down, Kosch said he will return to Tufts following a sabbatical leave and serve as a Special Assistant to the Provost.
"I will work on University-wide issues in research and graduate and post-graduate education," Kosch said. "I can earnestly say that I have Tufts Veterinary School in my blood, and it's hard to think about not being in the thick of it."
According to Bharucha, Dr. Sawkat Anwer will be serving as Interim Dean. A search for a new Dean will begin this summer.
Entering the Tufts community is Scott Sahagian, who joined the School of Engineering on March 1 as Executive Associate Dean. Previously, there was only one Associate Dean who oversaw both the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering.
"I am intertwined in the fabric of the daily life of the School of Engineering," Sahagian said. Currently Sahagian said he is working on "space issues, recruiting new faculty for next year, managing the 2006 budgets, and trying to solve research issues."
Sahagian also will assist School of Engineering Dean Linda Abriola with a committee to program the Integrated Lab Complex. "We want to plan what's going to go into that building, and how it's going to be configured," she said.
Abriola said that Sahagian "had really excellent experience and credentials, and a great way of thinking ... he brings vision to the school."
Abriola's plans for the School of Engineering include increasing its research presence, graduate education, and general reputation. The creation of Sahagian's position is part of this strategy.
"He's going to help us carry out our plans," said Abriola. "We need to be able to help manage our resources - he can help us manage our money, help us figure out how we can obtain more space, and figure out staff structure."
"He's going to provide us with the practical perspective," Abriola said.
Sahagian was previously Senior Administrative Officer at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
