Department Chair Dr. Cherie Stabler recently announced changes to the department’s leadership team. Dr. Kevin Otto will be stepping down as Senior Associate Chair. He would like to now focus his time on his research and other service/administrative roles/endeavors. Dr. Otto served as an advisor to the Chair and was responsible for all matters related to the academic program, admissions and standards, curriculum development, awards and scholarships, student affairs, and all aspects of student life, including recognition for accomplishments and promotion of academic and professional standards. Most of his focused improvements were in developing teaching assignments across the department. He sought to revamp the teaching schedule to be robust, resilient, and equitable, and that played to our faculty strengths and preferences. He created “Teaching Teams” for each course and synergistic “Rotation Schedules” for each faculty member. To do this, Dr. Otto first talked to each faculty member to ensure everyone’s preferences were realized in the strategic process.

Dr. Stabler said, “He established many processes and procedures, which will leave a legacy for the department. He also has volunteered so much of his time to teach when we had unexpected situations. Finally, he helped navigate our academic endeavors during COVID, which was no easy feat. I want to sincerely thank him for his service and dedication to the department, and I hope you will also extend this gratitude to him!”

Thank you for your service, Dr. Otto!