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Inside Iowa State, a newspaper for faculty and staff, is published by the Office of University Relations.

April 29, 2005

Human Sciences dean finalists visit campus

by Annette Hacker

A 15-member search committee led by LAS Dean Michael Whiteford has announced four dean finalists for the new College of Human Sciences. They are:

  • Cheryl Achterberg, founding dean, Schreyer Honors College; professor, nutritional sciences department; affiliate professor, School of Information Sciences Technology; affiliate professor of education theory and policy, College of Education; The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Achterberg will interview May 5-6.
  • Jeffrey McCubbin, professor and associate dean for graduate studies and research, College of Health and Human Sciences; interim associate dean for extension and outreach; and director of the graduate program in movement studies and disability, Oregon State University, Corvallis. McCubbin will interview May 3-4.
  • Marlene Strathe, provost and senior vice president; and professor, School of Educational Studies, at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. Strathe is interviewing April 28-29.
  • Pamela White, interim dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences; and University Professor, food science and human nutrition, at Iowa State. White interviewed April 26-27.

"Given the exceptionally strong pool of candidates, it's clear that this job is viewed as one in which a good leader will have an opportunity to be part of an exciting new chapter in Iowa State's history," Whiteford said.

The College of Human Sciences will be founded July 1, bringing together the departments and programs in the colleges of Education and Family and Consumer Sciences.

Achterberg is founding dean of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State, a role she has held since 1998. She is a professor in the nutritional sciences department, affiliate professor in both the School of Information Sciences Technology and the College of Education. She served as co-director of the Penn State Nutrition Center from 1985 to 1991 and director from 1992 to 1996. In her early career, Achterberg was a community nutritionist in Washington County, Maine.

Achterberg has researched nutrition education among children and adolescents, as well as low-income, low-literate, older and minority populations.

She received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences (1975) from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; a master's degree in human development/nutrition (1981) from the University of Maine; and a doctorate in nutrition (1986) from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

McCubbin has been a member of the Oregon State faculty since 1988, where he has served as associate dean and interim dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. He has directed the graduate program in movement studies in disability since 1992. Since 2002, he has served as associate dean for graduate studies and research, and since last July as interim associate dean for extension and outreach. He previously was on the faculty at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth.

His research interests are exercise science and movement studies in disability.

McCubbin earned a bachelor's degree (1976) in physical education from East Stroudsburg State College, Penn.; a master's degree (1977) in special physical education from the University of Connecticut, Storrs; and a doctorate (1983) in special physical education from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

Strathe has been provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Oklahoma State since 2003. From 1998 to 2003, Strathe was provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. She also has been vice president for academic affairs and provost (1993 to 1998) at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks; and assistant vice president of academic affairs (1988 to 1993) at the University of Northern Iowa. She was a UNI faculty member from 1969 to 1993.

Her research interests include academic administration, special vocational needs education and teacher education and preparation.

Strathe earned bachelor's degrees in government and bacteriology (1967) and a master's in psychology/counseling and higher education (1969) from Iowa State. She received an education specialist degree (1973) in educational psychology/evaluation from Northern Iowa. She received a doctorate (1975) in education/research and evaluation from Iowa State.

White joined the Iowa State faculty in 1975 and received the designation of University Professor in 2001. She has been an interim chair of the department of food science and human nutrition and interim co-director of the Center for Designing Foods to Improve Nutrition. She has led the FCS College as interim dean since July 2003. Early in her career, White worked as a frozen food technologist at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle.

Her research and teaching interests are in lipids and carbohydrates, and crop development to produce more desirable oils and starches.

White earned a bachelor's degree (1972) in experimental foods and nutritional sciences, and a master's (1974) in food science from the University of Washington, Seattle; and a doctorate (1981) in food technology from Iowa State.

Complete vitae are online at http://www.provost.iastate.edu/positions.

Remaining forums

Diversity forum
(302 Catt Hall)

  • Strathe: April 29, 10 a.m.
  • McCubbin: May 4,
    11 a.m.
  • Achterberg: May 6,
    11 a.m.

Open forum
(Memorial Union)

  • McCubbin: May 3,
    2:30 p.m., Gallery
  • Achterberg: May 5,
    3 p.m., Pioneer Room