Angie Bos was named incoming Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of College, as announced in a campus-wide email, March 2. Bos will step into the role July 1, taking over for Interim Dean Kathryn Leonard, who will return to teaching.
“Occidental is just such a strong community, and that is the kind of place that I want to be — a supportive community where every person on campus is contributing to the mission and matters to that,” Bos said. “I’m really excited about Occidental, where you have these opportunities for really strong relationships with students.”
Bos joins Occidental after four years at Boise State University, where she currently serves as Dean and professor in the School of Public Service. While the role of the Dean is centered in organization and administrative work, Bos said her approach to the job is primarily people-oriented.
“[As a Dean] you’re really just the connector,” Bos said. “You are immersing yourself in both [administrative and faculty] sides, communicating within and across. I think communication is a key aspect. It is also a people job. I’m really trying to recruit and retain the best folks to enhance the student experience.”
According to President Tom Stritikus, the search for the Dean began in the fall semester, when a search advisory committee was formed with faculty, trustee, alumni and student representatives. The committee aided the search process through interviews, campus visits and debriefing discussions, Stritikus said.
“Oxy is a multi-constituent network and every constituency really deeply cares about Oxy and has a stake in it,” Stritikus said. “It was important to have those voices in the room to help determine who a lot of different people would think is going to be most successful here.”
Grahm Tapp (sophomore) served as the student representative on the search advisory committee. Tapp is a member of ASOC’s Diversity & Equity Board (DEB), and Stritikus and Professor Alexander Day chose Tapp for the role, Stritikus said. Tapp said he participated in the interview process and debrief sessions, all while collecting information from students.
“[Bos] was one the most student-centered candidates that we had,” Tapp said. “Every conversation was tied back […] to ‘How is it going to help students?’ That is what I, as a student representative, am supposed to be advocating for. That’s what I want to hear.”
Department Chair and Professor of Geology Darren Larsen also served on the search advisory committee. During the interview process, Larsen said Bos had a meeting with various department chairs, during which Bos immediately stepped into the role of Dean.
“There is a wide range of perspectives on what are the best qualities of Dean and what their attention should be tuned into,” Larsen said. “[The meeting] was a rewarding experience in general [and] it was very reassuring that all of us really felt that Dr. Bos was our top choice, unanimously, and that is terrific.”
The role of the Dean, according to Larsen, is multifaceted — they must interface with students, faculty and administration. Stritikus said Bos confidently navigates this challenging aspect of the role.
“She brings an orientation as a leader that is primed to help people solve the problems that they really want to solve,” Stritikus said.
The most important hire for a small liberal arts college like Occidental is the Dean, Stritikus said. The Dean is a central part of the overall administration and leadership of the school, Stritikus said, especially because if the president is unable to discharge the duties of the office, the Dean becomes the president. Stritikus said that while the application pool was incredibly talented, Bos stood out.
“I want to hire someone who I know could beat me in an argument,” Stritikus said. “So, if we were arguing about something and I had a particular opinion, but the Dean thought [the opposite,] I would hire the person who I thought would make the stronger case. And in this case, it was clear that Dr. Bos would be able to do that.”
At Boise State University, and previously at College of Wooster, Bos said she worked on different ways to connect classroom with outside of the classroom learning. Bos said she plans to continue this work at Occidental.
“Occidental’s urban location is really exciting to me,” Bos said. “I am really passionate about the ways that we take classroom learning out into the world, and just the vast opportunities to do that in Los Angeles are really exciting.”
According to Tapp, during the interviews, Bos made it clear that she understands an essential aspect of Occidental life.
“[Bos] talked about the totality of student life a lot,” Tapp said. “I really like that because I mean, Oxy’s unique: we live here, we breathe here, we all eat here. Our academics and our curriculum can affect every aspect of our life at Oxy because we are in it, and she really talked about the comprehensive, holistic student experience.”
Most of all, Bos said, she is excited to meet and serve the Occidental students.
“I really love finding all those connection points with students,” Bos said. “Those are the ways that I learn things and can bring it back to when we’re having curriculum discussions or thinking about different programs or offerings. I’m excited about all the opportunities to meet students, to meet faculty, to meet staff, and to find all the ways that I can contribute to making the connections that bridge and make Occidental an even more amazing place.”
Contact Nora Youngelson at youngelson@oxy.edu
