Dean Ennis will serve one more year as Edwards College dean

Dan Ennis has decided to resign his position as dean of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, a position he has held for the past seven years. His resignation date is June 30, 2019.

Ennis served as interim dean of the Edwards College from August 2011 to Jan. 1, 2013, and dean from Jan. 1, 2013, until present. There has been a 26 percent growth in the undergraduate populations and a 110 percent growth in the graduate population of the Edwards College under his leadership. During his tenure, the college has seen the creation of a B.A. in figital culture and fesign, a B.A. in art history, a B.A. in languages and intercultural studies, a B.A. in anthropology and geography, an M.A. in liberal studies, an M.A. in music technology and most recently an M.A. in communication. Additionally, two new departments were created: Languages and Intercultural Studies and Anthropology and Geography.

Student development and community engagement have also been a major focus of his leadership, as he oversaw the creation of the Edgar Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy, the Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora studies, the Arts and Humanities Global Experiences Program and the Edwards Digital Commons. Ennis has also served as the University’s vice president for academic outreach.

He has also overseen the expansion of the college’s international initiatives with active study abroad agreements with Cape Coast, Ghana; Arezzo, Italy; and Mona, Jamaica.

The Office of the Provost will begin the search process early in the fall semester, and the search will be co-chaired by Barbara Ritter, dean of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, and Sara Hottinger, dean of University College.