The associate dean of graduate studies is returning to the physics faculty after seven years in administration.

Daniele Finotello left his administrative position two weeks ago and is currently doing research in Europe.

“I did not leave for any particular reason except that you can only be away from science for so long and yet make a difference,” he said in an e-mail.

Evelyn Goldsmith, assistant provost for special projects, will assume Finotello’s former position as the interim associate dean of graduate studies.

Goldsmith will retain some of her responsibilities in the provost’s office where she worked on resolving students’ academic complaints.

John West, vice president for research and dean of graduate studies, said Goldsmith will probably remain in the position for three to six months. The division of research and graduate studies will conduct a search for a new associate dean.

He said he hopes to have a new associate dean in place by next summer.

Goldsmith said her main new responsibility will be helping the division make the transition to Banner, the university’s new database, because there have been some difficulties processing graduate applications using the new system.

“It’s not been as smooth as we would have hoped,” she said.

West said Banner will eventually make it easier to track graduate applications, but he said the transition has been difficult.

Also, he said the other associate dean, Melody Baker, may be retiring at the end of the semester, and he will be open to discussions of reorganizing the office because two associate deans will be needed.

Currently, most graduate applications to Kent State are handled by the colleges of Education, Health and Human Services and Business, and the rest are handled by research and graduate studies.

West said an idea for a single online graduate application portal that will be more “user-friendly” is being discussed.

“Graduate students applying to Kent State University should have a single, simple entrance to begin their applications and complete their applications,” he said.

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Kiera Manion-Fischer at [email protected].