Associates lament dean's departure

When School of Arts and Sciences Dean Hugo Sonnenschein vacates his College Hall office this summer to become Princeton University's new provost, he will leave many sad supporters behind. For in his nearly three years in office, Sonnenschein has collected friends among faculty, administrators and students, some of whom said yesterday they will surely miss the dean's support and dedication to the College. Administrators and faculty members commended Sonnenschein yesterday for his success at fundraising and for his future planning for the College. They also lauded the dean's concern about undergraduate education, the improvement of which has been one of the University's stated goals in recent years. And they praised him for helping to bring together faculty at the school into a unified group. "He's been a wonderful dean. He has moved SAS very far and fast in a short amount of time," Associate Dean for the College Norman Adler said yesterday. "He has been important in making the College a central part of the University." Among the major changes in the school during Sonnenschein's tenure has been a solidification of funding for faculty. In his three years, the school has more than doubled its number of endowed professorships, and the College is well ahead of schedule in raising its share of money in the University-wide capital campaign. Sonnenschein's supporters said they are unhappy he is leaving, but happy he is being "promoted" to his new post. President Sheldon Hackney said last night that Sonnenschein has improved the College in his three years and added that he will greatly miss the dean when he leaves this summer. "I was very sorry to hear he's leaving," Hackney said. "We've become good friends and although that will go on, it won't be quite the same without him here." Hackney, who was provost of Princeton in the early 1970s, added that Sonnenschein will "be good at the job" because of his academic experience and his "admirable values." "Hugo cares a lot about people," Hackney said. "That's why he was so important to us and good for us." SAS faculty chairpeople, some of whom said they were surprised to hear about Sonnenschein's planned move, said they will feel a void when the dean's "stabilizing influence" is gone. "He's been a very even-handed and approachable dean and somebody the chairpeople have been able to rely on," Romance Languages Chairperson Lance Donaldson-Evans said last night. Donaldson-Evans added that Sonnenschein's "excellent fundraising capabilities" have enabled the College to become a powerhouse among peer liberal arts schools. And Provost Michael Aiken, who once held the post of SAS dean, said the University will miss Sonnenschein's leadership skills and his long-term vision for the school. "He's done a good job in terms of building a strong faculty and in terms of fundraising," Aiken said. "He's a good manager who strived to build a lot of teamwork and a sense of pride on the part of the faculty." Some students also said they regret the dean's departure and commended Sonnenschein for making an effort to understand the concerns of undergraduates. "He understands what undergraduate issues are and he's able to approach them from a multitude of angles," Dean's Advisory Board Chairperson Meryl Griff, a College junior, said yesterday. "I'm very sad that he's leaving."

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