Posted Wednesday, June 21, 5:35 p.m.

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences has a new interim dean to head the college while a search for a new permanent director continues.

Political science professor Lee Sigelman resigned his post as interim dean of the school due to health reasons last week and on Friday, Diana Lipscomb, an associate CCAS dean, became the new interim director. Former CCAS dean William Frawley left the school’s top post in early June to become president of the University of Mary Washington in Virginia.

In March the University announced that Sigelman would act as an interim dean of the school when Frawley left. Over Memorial Day weekend in May, Sigelman was rushed to a hospital while on a routine bike ride after suffering a tachycardia attack, or an unusually rapid beating of the heart.

Following the incident, Sigelman and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Lehman, agreed that Sigelman would step down as interim dean to focus on his recovery.

According to Lehman, Lipscomb was chosen to replace Sigelman because of her experience as an associate dean and her close work with Frawley.

“Dean Frawley and I have been working and talking on a regular basis about what the big issues are, what needs to be looked after, and what needs to be fixed,” Lipscomb said.

Some of the issues she hopes to address as interim dean include improving the doctorate programs, maturing the dean’s seminar program and building a new science building.

“I made it very clear to Lee Sigelman that we are not maintaining a status quo,” Lehman said. “The school has a strategic plan, and there are certain priorities that we look to achieve.”

While serving as interim dean Lipscomb said she will continue with her plans to teach a science class in the fall and Sigelman will continue as a professor.

Meanwhile, CCAS officials are continuing the search for a permanent director of the school. Lehman said this week that a search committee led by Leslie Jacobson, chair of the department of Theater and Dance, will meet with two higher education search firms that the University may hire to aid the selection process.

In May, Jacobson said the University would not use a search firm. Jacobson also said in May that she hopes to have a new director by July 2007.

“The hope is that with this early start that we might be able to have the search well on its way to completion in the fall,” said Lehman, who also sits on the 14-member search committee.

Lehman added that next week the University will be reviewing the criteria the search committee will use to evaluate candidates.