The new assistant dean at Kent State’s Ashtabula Campus jumps into his responsibilities as the semester comes to a close.

Officials chose Mel May, a long-time employee at Kent State, to fill the assistant dean position at the Ashtabula Campus.

Ashtabula Campus Dean Susan Stocker said there has not been a permanent assistant dean at the campus since she has been there.

“I would consider him to be the first permanent assistant dean we’ve hired,” Stocker said.

Prior to selecting May for the position, various faculty members served as the interim assistant dean. Most recently, the Ashtabula campus library director held that position.

May has worked in the Kent State system for 20 years. He spent most of that time in various positions at different regional campuses or in the regional campus executive offices.

Before moving into the assistant dean position, May was the executive director of educational technology and distributed learning at the Kent Campus.

“All together with teaching assignments or administrative assignments, I’ve been at six of the eight campuses,” May said. “One of the advantages of having spent time at different regional campuses is that I was able to hit the ground running.”

May said his main responsibilities as an assistant dean will include building the class schedules, hiring faculty and assigning them to classes, looking at new programs, approval of new programs and accreditation processes.

“I’ve seen many of these things and had some experience with them,” May said. “I spent six years in the office of the executive dean for the regional campuses, so I’d done many of these functions before at a system level, and now I’m doing them at a campus level.”

In addition to serving as the assistant dean at the Ashtabula Campus, May will also be teaching a technology course at the Stark campus next semester.

“He has a lot of experience with information technology, and that’s just sort of an added bonus,” Stocker said. “We’re very lucky to have someone with his breadth and depth of experience in the Kent State system.

“He basically walked in on his first day and could get right to work because he knows the system and he know a lot of the responsibilities of an assistant dean.”

May said he is enjoying working at the regional campus level once again.

“It’s a great campus, and I’m real excited about this opportunity,” May said.

Contact regional campus reporter Rebekah Mosora at [email protected].