A Message from the Dean: May 2021

Martin Hershock
Martin Hershock

Hello CASL Colleagues!

I hope that this brief message finds you in good health and good spirits. It is exciting to think that we may soon get to see each other and welcome our students back (properly masked and social distanced, of course) in the relative near future. As this is the last newsletter of the 2020-2021 academic year and the college will be welcoming a new Associate Dean (still awaiting Regental approval before I can formally announce who) on July 1, I wanted to take a few minutes to recognize the outstanding work and tireless commitment to the college of our outgoing Associate Dean, Mike Lachance.

As all of you well know, Mike has been a staple here in CASL since before even I arrived here as a student. And yet, he retains the same boyish looks and enthusiasm that he had when he was hired in. In his many years in the college Mike has assumed many roles and has excelled in every one of them. I am most familiar, of course, with Mike’s work as Associate Dean. 

In this capacity Mike has accomplished more than I could ever say. He led the initiative to revise the college’s Promotion and Tenure guidelines to make them more reflective of the work that we are engaged in and played a critical role in shaping, implementing, and assessing the college’s strategic planning initiatives. As our “go to” data guy, Mike has also led our program review process and helped to reshape the college’s line request, independent study, and course releases policies/practices. He helped to re-imagine our approach to internships and co-operative education and oversees both the CASL Advising and SOAR offices. Mike has also, as many of you unfortunately know, guided our Academic Integrity process over the last year and a half. 

Michael Lachance
Michael Lachance

To say that Mike has done all these things with good humor and a smile on his face, would be an understatement. Quick with a joke or a witty remark, Mike makes our office a lighter place and he epitomizes class, grace under pressure, empathy, integrity, and commitment. As he reads this, I can almost hear him saying, “You’re just saying that because it’s true” and indeed it is!

Please join me in thanking Mike for all his work on our collective behalf and in wishing him all the best as he embarks upon the next phase of his very accomplished life. I will miss working alongside of you, my friend. Thank you for all that you have done for the college and for your years of friendship. It’s been a wonderful run and I feel privileged to have had the great good fortune to have had you on my team.

Martin Hershock, Dean