Hippisley Selected as Dean of Fairmount College of LAS
Andrew Hippisley, professor of linguistics at the University of Kentucky, has been named the new dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wichita State, effective July 1.
“I am a strong believer in and advocate for a liberal arts experience,” Hippisley says. “I will serve as champion-in-chief of a liberal arts education as an intrinsic value whose scope is the whole person, creating a desire to treat career as their calling in life.”
His career history encompasses administrative and academic positions. He has served as the inaugural chair of the linguistics department at Kentucky since 2016. Prior to that he was director of the linguistics program and director of its graduate studies. He is a fellow of the Linguistic Society of America, the American Council on Education and the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program.
Hippisley served one term as chair of the University Senate Council at Kentucky. In this capacity, he acted as the key interface between faculty and deans of 17 colleges as well as upper administration, supported some 15 University Senate committees, presided over monthly Senate meetings and stewarded a budget.
He earned a PhD in linguistics from the University of Surrey in 1997 and also holds a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in Russian language and literature from the University of London.
Hippisley follows Ron Matson, who is retiring as dean on June 30.
Brothers Named Director of Ulrich Museum of Art
Leslie Brothers, director of the McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University’s Center for Contemporary Art, has been named director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State, effective June 18.
“This,” Brothers says, “is a very exciting time to be working in a museum within a major urban research institution committed to diversity, equity and community, accelerating the discovery, creation and transfer of new knowledge.”
She has held her current position for 16 years, in addition to serving as an adjunct professor in the department of art, teaching courses in contemporary art, theory and in the potential for artists to affect change in society. She received her master’s degree in art history and contemporary criticism from Virginia Commonwealth University, and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where she majored in art history and French.
She succeeds Bob Workman ’78, who became the museum director in 2013.
Clark Chosen as Chief of the WSU Police Department
Rodney Clark, a major in the U.S. Army with more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, has been appointed chief of the University Police Department.
Clark, who is an assistant professor of military science for the U.S. Army ROTC program at the Rochester Institute of Technology, is retiring from the Army to lead the UPD. His anticipated start date is July 2.
Muma Appointed Wichita State University Provost
Richard “Rick” Muma, who had been serving as interim provost since January, was chosen in May to serve as Wichita State’s provost and chief academic officer, with responsibility for all of the university’s teaching activities and some two-thirds of its budget and personnel.
“Rick Muma’s 22 years at WSU have been filled with accomplishment as a teacher, researcher and manager,” says WSU President John Bardo, who has charged Muma to work with faculty and staff on these priorities:
• Academic excellence and support systems leading to increased student recruitment, retention and more rapid degree completion
• Curriculum and programs that assure every student receives both a broad liberal arts education and an applied learning or research experience, with the combination leading to improved quality of life and career success
• Innovation in academic offerings for working adults and others looking for alternatives to traditional semester-long courses and years-long degree programs
• Fostering a university culture that is open, supportive and inclusive, making Wichita State an even better place to work or go to school
“I’m honored and humbled to accept this responsibility at such a turning point in the history of Wichita State and higher education,” Muma says. “With its vision, mission, core values and dedicated faculty and staff, WSU is positioned to further expand its positive impact on the lives of its students and the industries, communities and state we serve.”
