Michael Wasylenko was named interim dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Thursday and will take over in midsummer, when current dean Mitchel Wallerstein leaves.

“He’s someone who has assumed university-wide leadership responsibilities and studies and so on, and he’s someone who’s really widely respected within Maxwell, across the university and, I know, outside the university as well,” said Eric Spina, SU vice chancellor and provost. “It really became a relatively easy call that Mike was the perfect person here.”

Spina chose Wasylenko, the current senior associate dean of Maxwell, to be the interim dean after seeking nominations from Maxwell faculty and staff. It was decided Wasylenko was most qualified to serve during the transition period between the time Wallerstein leaves and when a permanent dean is chosen.

“The announcement is almost anticlimactic by the time it comes out, I mean for me, but I feel very good,” Wasylenko said. “It’s a good opportunity for me.”

Wasylenko will take his position at the beginning of August, when Wallerstein leaves to begin his position as president of Baruch College, a City University of New York school. Wallerstein was appointed president of Baruch in February, after serving as dean of Maxwell for seven years.

Wallerstein is delighted Wasylenko was appointed as his temporary replacement, he said. He believes Wasylenko is well qualified because of his work as the senior associate dean, the second-in-command at Maxwell, Wallerstein said.

As interim dean, Wasylenko plans to continue the initiatives and programs Wallerstein started. He has already worked on these initiatives with Wallerstein, so there will not be any major changes in Maxwell while he is interim dean, he said.

Wasylenko said he hopes to continue the merger of the international relations and public administration programs, as well as distribute more research money to the faculty. There was not much time for these initiatives to develop under Wallerstein, Wasylenko said.

“I’m just going to continue the good work of the dean,” Wasylenko said. “We’re on the right path.”

Waslyenko will hold the position until the time a permanent dean is chosen, a date Spina said is still unknown. Spina will lead a national search to fill the position beginning in late spring and continuing into the next academic year.

Waslyenko will have the option of applying to be the permanent dean as part of the national search, but he said he would have to see how he likes being interim dean before applying.

“I think the most important thing, as the provost indicated in his announcement, is that the school needs to continue pursuing all of its initiatives and all of its programs,” Wallerstein said. “I know that Dr. Wasylenko is fully supportive of that and will provide excellent leadership.”

Published on March 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm