Dr. Joshua Francis named dean of Tech’s College of General Studies

On Jan. 27, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. John Shannon named Dr. Joshua Francis as dean of Indiana Tech’s College of General Studies.

Francis, who joined Indiana Tech in Jan. 5, 2015, as director of teacher preparation for its School of Education, had been serving as dean in an interim role since August 2015.

“I am honored that the faculty, the search committee and the members of the cabinet felt that I was the strongest candidate for the position and have asked me to continue leading the College of General Studies,” Francis said. “Having served as the interim dean for the past six months, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the amazing group of individuals that I have the pleasure of leading and working with in the coming years.”

For Shannon, keeping Francis in the dean’s role was not a difficult decision.

“Dr. Francis is a highly approachable and engaging person who will bring a thoughtful, proactive approach to his position as dean of the College of General Studies,” Shannon said. “I look forward to his many contributions to the growth and development of academic programs at Indiana Tech, and I am very pleased to add him to our academic leadership team.”

With the tag as interim dean, Francis worked hard to make sure he was the clear choice for the position. Now that he has it, don’t expect him to lay off the gas pedal.

“I want to work with our talented program faculty to continue building and strengthening the programs we currently offer,” Francis said. “I also see several opportunities for our existing programs to move into graduate programming at the masters and doctoral level. We are already beginning to explore these ideas.”