The Honors College will need new leadership when dean Bonnie Irwin moves to the College of Arts and Humanities on July 1.

Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs, announced the search for Irwin’s replacement through an e-mail sent to faculty, department chairs and deans on April 2.

Lord said he expects to make an internal appointment before commencement on May 8. The appointment would be for a three-year term.

An internal search would be more time and cost efficient than an external, nationwide search, Lord said in his announcement. He said one reason the search is internal is that a nationwide search would need to begin in the fall.

The new dean will be the third head of the Honors College. The Board of Trustees officially established the college in 2003.

Irwin and Herb Lasky, the first dean of the college, were both hired internally.

Patricia Poulter, associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, will convene the search committee, comprised of volunteers from the Honors College, a faculty senate representative and a student representative.

The committee will review applicants starting on April 12. Interviews are expected to begin April 26, Poulter said.

All tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply, but the position description, linked in the e-mail said it is desirable for the faculty member to have administrative experience. The position description will be posted on the Academic Affairs’ Web site later this week.

The college recently underwent an external review, which Lord said revealed opportunities for the college that he expects the new dean to pursue.

Essential duties of the position include “oversight of the University’s support of students in national scholarship programs, undergraduate research projects and thesis competition.”

Other qualities Lord said he wants for the position include a commitment to ethnic and gender diversity.

The new dean will develop fundraising efforts and programs for the college. Eastern will kickoff the public phase of a large capital campaign in the fall. The campaign will continue throughout the three-year term.

Interested faculty can send a letter of interest and resume to Karen Johnson in the provost’s office.

Sarah Ruholl can be reached at 581-7942 or at seruholl2@eiu.edu.