Editor's note: This story was updated at 8:35 a.m. on Feb. 25 to clarify incorrect information present in the email announcement regarding Roger Thompson's forum presentation times.
The Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences announced five candidates who will interview to be the next dean.
The College of Arts and Sciences has been without a dean since July when David Wrobel stepped down after serving six years in the position to become the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University in New York.
Lisa Pawloski
Pawloski is the senior associate dean for international programming, finance and administration and a professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences. Pawloski previously served as founding chair of the departments of nutrition and food studies and global and community health at George Mason University. She also served as dean of academic affairs at the George Mason University Korea campus in Incheon, South Korea.
Pawloski earned her bachelor’s in biology from Texas A&M University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in bioanthropology from Indiana University.
Pawloski’s research focuses on childhood obesity and biocultural aspects of health and nutrition among children and young adults.
Pawloski’s public forum presentation will be from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday in Zarrow Hall. Her meet and greet will be from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. in the Dodge Student Success and Advising Center in the Physical Sciences Center.
Mitchell McKinney
McKinney is the dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Akron. McKinney has served as dean since July 2021.
McKinney previously served as professor of communication and director and founder of the Political Communication Institute at the University of Missouri. He also served as faculty fellow for academic affairs in the office of the provost, serving in the role of acting deputy provost.
McKinney served as a staff member in the U.S. Senate and as a White House fellow for the Office of Domestic Policy in 1993. He also served as associate director of the National Communication Association in Washington, D.C., and as president of the Central States Communication Association.
McKinney previously taught at OU as an assistant professor in the department of communication from 1996 to 2000.
McKinney earned two bachelor’s degrees in speech communication and government from Western Kentucky University, a master’s in speech communication and rhetoric from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in communication studies from the University of Kansas.
McKinney is also one of five candidates for Missouri State University’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. McKinney will be interviewed for the Missouri State University position Tuesday, one day before his interview at OU.
McKinney’s public forum presentation will be from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in Zarrow Hall. His meet and greet will be from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. in the Dodge Student Success and Advising Center in the Physical Sciences Center.
Michael Markham
Markham is the OU Honors College interim dean, a position he was appointed to in June. He is the associate dean for academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and is a Case-Hooper professor of biology.
Markham studied psychology at the University of New Mexico where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Markham’s research focuses on neurobiology, specifically the biophysics of excitable membranes and the plasticity of excitable cells. He has also conducted research on behavioral conditioning in humans and animals.
Markham has worked at OU since 2011. Before joining OU, he was a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. At Florida International University, Markham worked as a research associate professor and an assistant professor.
Markham’s public forum presentation will be from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Zarrow Hall. His meet and greet will be from 5 to 5:45 p.m. in the Dodge Student Success and Advising Center in the Physical Sciences Center.
Mike Blum
Blum has been the associate dean of the research and creative activity office at the University of Tennessee since 2023. He also served as a professor and associate professor for the college’s ecology and evolutionary biology department. He previously worked as a research professor for Tulane University.
Blum earned his bachelor’s degree in integrative biology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1995 and his doctoral degree in zoology from Duke University in 2002.
Blum’s research focuses on sustainability and ecology, particularly human-environment interactions in riverine and coastal ecosystems. He coordinated major initiatives centered on New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and led efforts to foster adaptive watershed management.
Blum’s public forum presentation will be from 2 to 3 p.m. March 5 in Zarrow Hall. His meet and greet will be from 4 to 4:45 p.m. in the Dodge Student Success and Advising Center in the Physical Sciences Center.
Roger Thompson
Thompson has been the associate dean for operations and facilities for Stony Brook University’s College of Arts and Sciences since 2021. He also served as a professor and director of the university’s writing and rhetoric program.
Thompson also serves as co-chair of RhetAI, a global artificial intelligence research coalition investigating AI’s persuasive powers, and led a summit for the organization involving international academic and industry professionals.
Thompson earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in English from Baylor University and his doctoral degree in rhetoric, composition and American literature from Texas Christian University in 1999.
Thompson played a key role in securing Stony Brook University’s membership in the Association of American Universities, according to a profile packet of candidate biographies sent to College of Arts and Sciences students.
A part of the “Lead On, University” strategic plan is for OU to become an institution recognized by the Association of American Universities.
Thompson’s meet and greet will be from 5:15 to 6 p.m. March 7 in the Dodge Student Success and Advising Center in the Physical Sciences Center. His public forum presentation will be from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Zarrow Hall.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd. Allie Clift and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
