Waldeck endorsed by students, faculty for Dean of School of Communication

The School of Communication expressed support for Jennifer Waldeck, who served as the interim dean in spring 2020, to replace current-dean Lisa Sparks after she retires. CLARISSE GUEVARRA, Staff Photographer

Jennifer Waldeck, the associate dean of Academic Programs and Faculty Development, was praised for her ability to solicit faculty feedback and advice during her time as interim dean of Chapman University’s School of Communication this past spring semester. 

Two doors down in Doti Hall room 210, School of Communication instructor Travis Bartosh would see a steady stream of faculty walk down the hall to step into Waldeck’s office.

“She seemed like she took on the role of a facilitator, which I appreciated,” Bartosh said. “(She valued) taking in everyone’s feedback and then making decisions off of that.”

Thanks to the trust she’s built through open communication and a leadership style founded in listening to her colleagues and students, Waldeck appears to be widely endorsed by the School of Communication community to replace Dean Lisa Sparks after she steps down from her position at the end of the academic year to rejoin the faculty.

“(She’s) professionally and emotionally there for the students,” said Christie Wong, a junior strategic and corporate communication major. “I feel like she’s just a great face for the school.”

Waldeck told The Panther she’s unsure whether she’d be offered the position and, in that event, if she’d take it. However, she said she’s not opposed to the idea of serving full-time as dean of the School of Communication. 

“The opportunity to serve as acting dean last year was a great experience that opened my eyes to my capabilities in that area, but time will tell if that’s a long term part of my path at Chapman,” Waldeck wrote in an email to The Panther. “I am glad to know my colleagues have that faith in me.”

Provost Glenn Pfeiffer is retiring at the end of the academic year along with Sparks. Since the provost position directly oversees the Dean of the School of Communication, Pfeiffer has a decision on his hands: whether to conduct a formal external search that ends at some point in the 2021 academic year, or to appoint an interim dean and pass the task onto the next provost. This dilemma has created a degree of uncertainty to the future of the school itself. 

“I want to wait a couple of months to make that decision and let everything that’s happened settle in,” Pfeiffer said. “The goal here is … we want a world-class School of Communication.”

However, regardless of the selection method, Pfeiffer mentioned that faculty input would be taken into account for the position. In that case, Waldeck would likely stand as a favorite, as a range of professors offered endorsement of her skills and credentials to The Panther. 

“Dr. Waldeck was our interim dean in the spring and she did a fabulous job of bringing the entire School of Communication community together during a very tumultuous time,” wrote Andrea Weber, assistant dean of Academic Advising and Student Affairs, in an email to The Panther. “I am hopeful that she would be asked and would be willing to be appointed as dean.”

Many others also praised Waldeck’s handling of a difficult spring semester, in which she assumed the position of interim dean after Sparks stepped away to pursue a congressional campaign she lost.

“I was good at what I did and what I was able to accomplish, despite the circumstances of the pandemic coming down on us and the closure of the campus,” Waldeck said. “I was very proud of the calm, grace and professionalism with which all of our faculty, (students and staff) approached last semester with the move online.”

Wong mentioned she’d taken an Intercultural Communication class with Waldeck and offered praise to her teaching and leadership style.

“She was really, really engaging; she showed a great sense of empathy, which is important, especially now with what kids are dealing with,” Wong said. “She was really understanding …  and that’s what we need going forward.”