As the current dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences prepares to depart from Ithaca College this June, the college has announced the appointment of an interim dean for the 2015–16 academic year.

Michael Richardson, associate dean for faculty and special initiatives for H&S, will serve as interim while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement for outgoing H&S Dean Leslie Lewis.

Richardson has taught in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures since he came to the college in 1998. He served as department chair from 2008–12 and attained full professor status in 2014. For the past two years, Richardson has overseen professional development, external grants and research.

While Richardson said his position as associate dean has made him familiar with many of the dean’s responsibilities, his primary goal is becoming more equipped with all of the aspects of the job in anticipation of a busy year ahead.

“My overall goal, as it were, is to continue to promote the School of Humanities, and Ithaca College in general, as a place that offers students a variety of meaningful educational experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom,” he said.

In his position of interim dean, Richardson said he wants to reconnect with students.

“I haven’t been in the classroom since I stopped teaching in the fall of 2012, and I miss being able to interact with students on a regular basis,” he said.

Richardson’s associate dean position has yet to be filled, but he said an invitation will soon be extended to faculty to gather letters of interest.