Ithaca College began to plant its final steps toward concluding the search for a new dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance yesterday with a presentation by Linda Petrosino, the final of four finalists, in Klingenstein Lounge.

Petrosino is a professor and dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Bowling Green State University. Petrosino, an alumna of Ithaca College, received her bachelor’s and master’s in Speech Pathology and Audiology in 1977 and 1978, respectively. She then received a Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology from Ohio University in 1983.

In her presentation, Petrosino said the themes of integration and transformation in IC 20/20 were part of what drove her back to the college, similar to many of the previous finalists.

“It was really IC 20/20 that lead me to actually push the send button on my application for consideration,” Petrosino said.

Though Petrosino presented a large plan for how she felt she would best fit in on South Hill, she had two main focuses to her presentation — fostering faculty dialogue and a balance of college services.

To the first point, Petrosino said, the role of the dean is to act as the catalyst for a discussion with the faculty about potential curriculum alterations and school changes.

“The faculty own the curriculum,” she said. “It should be faculty in their own professional areas that are having discussion about the curriculum. I rely on faculty to know what is contemporary, what is required, what is effective and what will produce the best students out of their particular program.”

Petrosino said she’d like to maintain a strategic balance for faculty between teaching and research services. Continuing the balancing theme, she said the college must manage the fiscal expectations and goals associated with IC 20/20.

If she is hired, Petrosino said, her first priority would be to continue proper functioning at the college. She said she looks forward to spending that year meeting with faculty and student groups to learn more about the college.

Petrosino was the last of the four finalists to present. She was preceded by Ming Li, director of the School of Recreation and Sports Science at Ohio University, James Graves, dean of the College of Health at the University of Utah, and William Stewart, associate dean of academic affairs at the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Provost Marisa Kelly will ultimately make the final decision as to which candidate is hired.