Undergraduate associate VP leaves behind 22-year career

Susan Steele, University of Arizona associate vice president for undergraduate education, will leave her post this Friday.

Dennis Ray, an associate professor of plant sciences, will take over her position until a permanent administrator is hired.

It is urgent to find a permanent replacement for Steele, Ray said, because of the new standardized general education curriculum - a program Steele helped implement.

"It's a critical time for undergraduate education," he said. "That's why they brought me aboard."

Ray is chair of the university-wide General Education Committee. Steele was also a member.

The committee's purpose is to make more seats available in classes - particularly in general education - at more times of the day, Ray said.

"The whole idea was that students are first," Ray said.

Lynne Tronsdal, associate vice president for undergraduate administration, said a search for Steele's permanent replacement is in progress and that person should be hired by July.

Steele accepted a position at the University of Connecticut in October and will become its vice provost for undergraduate education.

Merrill Garrett, director of Cognitive Sciences, said Steele did the work of four people in her 22-year UA career.

"She's been a really good administrator in a really hard job," he said. "With the undergraduate curriculum - there's been faculty unhappiness initially. It was a difficult task to get that program running."

Michael Gottfredson, vice president for undergraduate education, said Steele has accomplished many things at the UA.

He said Steele, who worked as a professor, researcher and administrator, also implemented electronic curriculum.

"I learned an enormous amount from her," Gottfredson said. "The most significant being the approach to curriculum as an intellectual idea. In the end, that is what we provide for our students."