The University of Minnesota announced on Nov. 25 that GerShun Avilez, the former associate dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts & Humanities at the University of Maryland, would succeed interim Dean Ann Waltner as the new dean of the University’s College of Liberal Arts (CLA).
Avilez said that as the new dean, he wants to focus on creating a sense of community both within the college and outside CLA by using community outreach and expanding student access to internship and volunteering opportunities.
In his introduction to CLA students, Avilez said he had been inspired by the vibrancy of the University’s community. This week, the Minnesota Daily sat down to ask him how his first three months have been.
Minnesota Daily: How was the transition from Maryland to the Twin Cities?
GerShun Avilez: “I didn’t know Minneapolis very well, and I was in Maryland, so, I was living in D.C. So, I’ve lived in bigger cities before. I was like, ‘I wonder what it’s like to live there. Will I be bored?’ and I’m not. The Twin Cities are amazing. The art scene here is incredible. So, in addition to liking the job and the people, I’m also enjoying living in the area. It’s really great.”
Daily: What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed between the University of Maryland and Minnesota?
Avilez: “This is something that I’ve noticed about the campus here — there is a deep commitment to social change. I see it amongst students. Students are very activated around issues. Social justice and environmental studies, they really care about it. I’m not saying that people in Maryland don’t, I’m not saying that, but there is just, I’ve seen it over and over again, this real commitment to change and trying to understand the social world. And I appreciate that energy and that excitement.”
Daily: Does that social activism change the way you view your role as an administrator?
Avilez: “I think that commitment to social change means it’s very important for me, in my decision-making, to be very transparent. People understand that my administrating comes from my values, so I think it feels even more important to be very clear about what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and that it lies in my values. Ultimately, in my opinion, people who are committed to social justice are actually committed to their values and trying to make sure their values guide what happens in their lives. So, that means I need to be doing the same thing.”
Daily: How does your role differ from other deans and administrators on campus?
Avilez: “The scale. It makes this job a little different from other administrative roles. Honestly, me being a dean to CLA is like people being president of other colleges. Like, it’s really, really big. I say this to myself almost every day, ‘This is a big job.’ But also, what makes it fun is, because we are so big and we have so much going on, it’s exciting.”
Daily: Did it intimidate you to come into such a big role at the University?
Avilez: “It did, and it didn’t. It didn’t because there was no way for me to conceptualize how big it was until I actually got here. I was like, ‘Oh, it’s big.’ Then, I got here and I was like, “Oh, wow, no. It’s BIG.’ Big means a lot of meetings. There was no way for me to prepare for it. I thought I was prepared.”
Daily: How would you say your studies and body of work as an educator changes your perspective?
Avilez: “Because I’m a literature scholar, and because I studied culture, what I’m always interested in is how art can help us understand the social world. So what that means, of course, I have a deep appreciation for the arts and the humanities, that’s where I come from so I really care about that. But, also, I think when you study culture, especially literature, what you’re often thinking about is how an artistic text can help give you different perspectives on things, right? So, I actually think the work I do informs my approach as a leader.”
Daily: What past experiences inform your work as a dean?
Avilez: “I’ve done a lot of administrative work in my career, I’ve been a director of a program of sexuality studies, I’ve been a director of graduate studies, then I was associate dean of economic affairs. So, I’ve done a lot of administrative work. But why that matters is that I’ve found that I really enjoy administrative work. What it enables you to do, every time you take on an administrative role, is that it increases your radius of influence. You can accomplish more.”
“I think that, as I’ve gone through my career, I’ve been able to have a wider impact. That’s made me want to keep doing it, to figure out how I can help the most number of people.”
Daily: What do you see for the future of CLA under your administration?
Avilez: “Increasing access to interdisciplinary work, we have a lot of stuff here. I think we can do more around data science. I think we can do more around medical humanities, since about a third of students in CLA are interested in pre-health. So, really helping them think about how they can move into that world, I think that really matters. But, outside of academic stuff, I think it’s important for CLA to become a place that really prioritizes community engagement. If people don’t understand the value of liberal arts, it’s important that we show them by actually being involved.”
Daily: If you could describe your plan for the future in one word, what would it be?
Avilez: “Engagement. That’s really what I want more than anything else. I want to have every college, and ideally every unit, figure out how they can be engaged in the community, and that could look a lot of different ways. On top of that, I want to make sure that everyone, students and staff, feel like they can be engaged in this world and that they’re part of this world, that they’re full participants.”
Daily: What do you want to do differently in your term as dean?
Avilez: “I don’t know fully what the deans of the past did, but what I will say is that one thing I really want to do, or how I want to be viewed as a dean, I would really like to be someone who is present and available. That may or may not have been the case in the past, but I’ve said this before. What I do not want to do or be as a dean is someone who lives in Johnston that no one ever sees. I would actually like to go to events I’m invited to, to department meetings. I want to be present, because it’s important that people understand how I think, what I think and how I make my decisions.”
This interview was edited for length, clarity and style.
