Tufts Professor of Psychology and former Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Robin Kanarek will serve for one year as interim dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President announced earlier this month that Kanarek will replace current Friedman School Dean Eileen Kennedy, who earlier this year announced her intention to take a yearlong sabbatical before returning as a professor in September 2012. Kennedy has led the school for the past seven years.
An advisory committee worked with Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha to select an interim dean before University President−elect Anthony Monaco and the replacement for Bharucha, who will leave Tufts this summer, make a decision on a permanent dean when they take office.
"It seems clear to everyone concerned that given that there was going to be turnover in the president and provost, it would be best to give the next administration the opportunity to select the dean," Bharucha said.
Kanarek's one−year post will begin on July 1, he said.
Kanarek's history with the Friedman School will aid her in her new role, she said. She was one of the first members of the Tufts Nutrition Institute, the forerunner to the Friedman School.
"I've been at Tufts a long time, so I've seen nutrition grow at Tufts from just an idea to the Friedman School, so I have that perspective," Kanarek said.
The advisory committee sought an interim replacement with a history of both research and administrative experience, according to Bharucha.
"You don't know until people have already done academic administrative work how acceptive they are going to be," he said. "She can draw on that proven experience to lead the Friedman School."
Kanarek, who joined the Tufts faculty in 1977, was chair of the Department of Psychology from 1996 to 2002 and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from 2002 to 2006. Kanarek has also served as an adjunct professor at the Friedman School since 1989, according to Kennedy.
"She's a stellar researcher, a stellar teacher and a former dean. That combination is unbeatable," Kennedy said.
Outside of the classroom, Kanarek has served on review committees for a variety of national organizations, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Kennedy anticipates an easy move into her new job.
"I believe it will be as smooth a transition as we've ever seen," she said.
Though Kanarek will not continue to teach during her tenure as interim dean, she will continue her research, which focuses on the effects of nutrition on cognitive behavior, she said.
Kanarek's first priority in her new position will be to understand the vision that the Friedman School's faculty and staff share for the school, she said.
"Before I establish goals, I need to talk to the people who are there and see what their goals are," she said. "I don't want to impose things on them; they've worked for a long time together."
The Friedman School, which was established in 1981, has advanced markedly under Kennedy's seven−year tenure as dean, according to Bharucha. Kennedy helped to improve the school's finances and launched important initiatives, such as a program in Ras al−Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, he said.
Kennedy said that she and Kanarek both would like to see the Friedman School continue to grow the year the latter will lead it.
"[Our goals are] continuing to raise the bar on cutting−edge research, continue to raise the caliber of students who come to the school and continue to train future leaders in nutrition," she said.
