Western Oregon University is excited to announce Kathleen Cassity of Honolulu has been selected as the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS).

Cassity currently is the assistant interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Hawaii Pacific University and also served there as chairperson of the Department of English and Applied Linguistics. She received her bachelor’s (1994), master’s (1997) and doctoral (2005) degrees in English at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“I’m excited about assuming the position of dean at WOU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences because my own values are so well aligned with WOU’s mission of providing educational opportunity and access, fostering sustainability, promoting diversity and serving the greater good,”Cassity said. “WOU offers the kind of vibrant, collaborative and creative academic community that the 21st century so desperately needs. I’m very much looking forward to being a part of that and to helping WOU continue to excel and thrive.”

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Stephen Scheck said the nationwide search for a new dean of LAS, one of WOU’s two colleges, was extensive and yielded the best candidate.

“It will be a pleasure to have Dr. Cassity join the academic leadership team,” Scheck said. “She brings a good deal of experience working in a liberal arts environment that is focused on student mentoring and student learning outcomes.  She will work well within the collegial environment we have at WOU as we move forward on implementing the university’s strategic plan.”

Cassity will begin work at Western Oregon University in August. Professor Rob Winningham filled the role of interim dean of LAS during the 2016-2017 academic year.