By Stacey Gish
Two of EKU’s colleges welcomed new deans during the spring 2022 semester, and two more deans arrived on campus before the fall semester.
Dr. Derek Paulsen was named dean of the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science after serving as its interim since 2020. Paulsen came to EKU in 2002 and boasts a strong record as a teacher, scholar and administrator, with extensive public service experience for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
“My goal is to continue the tradition of excellence we’ve had for more than 50 years,” Paulsen said. “We want to ensure the college evolves in the best way to serve students and our great faculty and staff.”
Dr. Tom Martin was named dean of the College of Business, a role he sees as a great fit for his education — degrees in organizational communication, political science and an MBA — and administrative experiences inside and outside of Eastern. He started teaching at EKU in 2006 and transitioned to administration in 2015.
“We will continually strengthen academic excellence, enrollment and student success; increase external engagement with our alumni, community and partnerships with the private sector; and increase resources for student and faculty support, enhanced educational experiences and community engagement,” he said.
Two more deans joined EKU over the summer. Dr. Mercy Cannon began work as the dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, and Dr. Daniel Czech serves as dean of the College of Health Sciences.