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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Sandefur takes on responsibilities with optimism, Outkast

Few University of Wisconsin students are familiar with the university's administrators, and even fewer are aware Gary Sandefur, dean of the College of Letters & Science, is not only responsible for allocating resources to the 39 departments within CLS, but is also a fan of hip-hop group Outkast.

"I enjoy listening to music and I like all different kinds," Sandefur said. "I really like Outkast. I think they're a very imaginative and creative group and they've done a lot of interesting things over the years."

While Sandefur enjoys spending free time listening to Outkast, what he enjoys most is his job as dean. Sandefur has been a UW staff member for the past 21 years, serving in various positions within the university.

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"I was a professor of sociology and I've been associate vice chancellor for academic affairs," Sandefur said. "I was also the interim provost in 2001."

According to Sandefur, his favorite part of the job is meeting and conversing with the variety of people he interacts with every day. Going from meeting to meeting all day, Sandefur said he enjoys hearing different ideas and opinions.

"I really enjoy being dean. It's a fun job. But my favorite part of my job are [sic] the really interesting people I get to meet who are in the CLS," Sandefur said. "Some are faculty, staff or students, and they have these really creative and imaginative ideas. It's really fun to talk with them and hear what they're up to and hear how they think we might do things [to improve] in the future."

Associate Dean Charles Halaby in the College of Letters & Science spoke highly of Sandefur.

"He and I have been colleagues for the past 20 years," Halaby said. "He's got a terrific sense of humor, he's very willing to listen to opposing points of view and he's very nonjudgmental."

Sandefur said part of his responsibility as dean requires him to make decisions regarding hiring new faculty and staff and allocating resources within CLS departments.

"One of my responsibilities is to make sure that people in the college have the resources they need to deliver the services to students," Sandefur said. "For example, it's my responsibility to make sure the Spanish department has enough resources to hold Spanish classes, which is hard because Spanish is a very popular subject."

Having been in his position as dean for just more than a year, Sandefur said he is proud of the position CLS is in today and optimistic for the college's future.

"I think one of the strong parts of our college is we have some really outstanding departments," Sandefur said. "That's one of the big strengths of the College of Letters & Science … and it's been that way for a number of years."

Sandefur said one of the biggest problems the CLS faces in the future is state budget cuts.

"The challenge is to figure out creative solutions to continue to do a great job of continuing research and service with limited resources from the state," he said.

Halaby said he thinks Sandefur is the sort of person who can handle tough situations, such as budgetary concerns or other problems that may arise in CLS.

"What's important to me is that he's extremely calm and extremely relaxed, even in the face of things that appear to be a crisis," Halaby said. "I've never seen him ruffled. He's very steady, and that's an important quality in his job. You need to be able to maintain your composure if you're going to make the right kind of decisions."

Sandefur received his undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Oklahoma in 1974 and doctorate in sociology from Stanford University in 1978. He has been married for 37 years and has two grown children.

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