GOULD, NICHOLS ACCEPT DEANSHIPS IN OHIO, TEXAS

After five years as dean of the College of Arts and Letters, Karen L. Gould will step down in August to become dean of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati.

In a letter to faculty, Gould said her time at Old Dominion has been both rewarding and joyful. "I will always have a deep respect and strong affection for the faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Letters," she said. "And I am confident that the college will continue to flourish under the new administration of Dr. Runte."

At Old Dominion, Gould led a college of 13 departments and 3,000 students. In her new position, she will oversee 21 departments and 5,300 students.

Provost Jo Ann Gora commended Gould for her leadership over the past five years. "She always exercised sound and wise judgment, and brought new energy and vision to the college," Gora said.

Gould is credited for enhancing the international emphasis in the college through numerous curricular changes and other innovations, and for strengthening the faculty. Also under her direction, two Title VI grants were written and funded.

Gould, whose academic background is in French and women's studies, came to Old Dominion in 1996 from Bowling Green State University, where she was associate dean of academic affairs for the graduate college and director of the women's studies program.

Another Old Dominion faculty member, Brenda S. Nichols, also has accepted a deanship at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, where she will head the College of Arts and Sciences.

Former chair of the School of Nursing, Nichols saw the school grow from 250 students to more than 700, and helped lead its efforts in developing distance education and Weekend College programs. During her tenure, the school's virtual learning environment - Monarch General Hospital - was created, and students earned Virginia's highest first-time pass rate on state board exams.

Nichols came to Old Dominion in 1990 after stints as dean of health sciences at the University of New England in Australia and director of nursing research at the University of Southern Mississippi.