The University of Detroit Mercy’s search for the next dean of the Col– lege of Liberal Arts and Education is down to three finalists, according to information provided to faculty members. They are: Dr. Jocelyn Boryczka, Dr. Wesley Renfro and Dr. Sharon Nell. According to Law School Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum, chair of the CLAE dean search com- mittee, the three were selected from a group of 10 “strong candidates.”
Boryczka, currently a professor of politics at the University of Fairfield in Connecticut, has studied and earned degrees from The College of William and Mary, Louisiana State University, Wayne State University and The Graduate Center at The City University of New York, where she graduated with a Ph.D. in Political
Science. Since then, Boryczka has taught at several different universi- ties including a few of her alma ma- ters. Boryczka also works at Fairfield as the vice provost for Scholarly
and Inclusive Excellence and is the co-chair for the Presidential Working Group on Inclusive Excellence.
Renfro currently serves as the associate dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. He is also a professor in Quinnipiac Univer- sity’s Department of Philosophy
and Political Science. Prior to his contributions to Quinnipiac, Renfro acted as chair to the Department of Political Science and Legal Studies and the director of core curriculum at St. John Fisher College. A gradu- ate of Heidelberg University and the University of Connecticut, where he earned a Ph.D. in Political Science,
Renfro has also held several prior teaching appointments at Quinnipiac University, St. John Fisher College and other schools.
Nell is currently dean of the School of Arts and Humanities and a professor of French at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. She
has worked at several universities, both public and private, over 32 years. She studied at the University of Houston and Rice University, where she graduated with a Ph.D. in Philosophy. Nell has worked at St. Edward’s University, University of Houston-Downtown and Texas Tech University, among others.
It was unclear when the committee would make its final selection. It
is being assisted by search firm WittKieffer, which Exum said in an email to faculty is “bringing thought- fulness and energy” to the process.
