Three University faculty members will receive new appointments July 1.

Two will help ease the transition process as the University changes the faces of two of its colleges as part of its realignment. The other will play a role in making some important economic decisions for the school.

Terry Collins is serving as the interim dean of the General College and has been part of the college’s faculty for 30 years.

Collins will act as interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development until appointed dean Darlyne Bailey takes the position in October. The College of Education and Human Development will expand to include the General College, the School of Social Work and the College of Human Ecology’s family social science department.

Collins said he will chat with Bailey weekly during his time as interim dean and hopes to put some of her plans for the college in motion.

Collins said he is working on putting together a budget for the college.

Also taking a role as an interim dean is Kathryn VandenBosch, currently the plant biology department head.

VandenBosch will serve as the interim dean of the new College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. The college is a merger of the College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, the College of Natural Resources and the food science and nutrition department.

The search for a permanent dean for the new college began in March. VandenBosch predicted that the school could have a new dean as early as spring semester 2007.

As interim dean she will focus on creating a community by bringing together students and faculty from the two colleges and the food science and nutrition department.

She said she also will look at the various departments in the new college to find areas of shared interest among them.

Foregoing his seven-year role as dean of the College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Charles Muscoplat will become the University’s vice president for statewide strategic resource development in July.

Muscoplat’s new position will be threefold, he said.

He will study the University’s real estate holdings to maximize value. He also will look at the values of the University faculty’s intellectual properties to determine which properties can be commercialized. Finally, Muscoplat said he will look at how the University can play a role in regional economic development.