Doriani selected to replace Morgan as new academic dean

Eastern’s current Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Betsy Morgan, will soon step down from her position. Last semester, a committee of seven faculty members met and interviewed approximately 30 people hoping to earn a job as Eastern’s academic dean.

Dr. Beth Doriani shone through the other applicants and will begin her tenure at Eastern on July 1.

“She had the most experience,” Dr. Caroline Cherry, head of the English department, said. She also said Doriani is a very intelligent woman “with a sincere Christian commitment.”

Dr. Walter Huddell, associate professor of the mathematics department and chair of the committee that chose the new dean, also described Doriani’s “unmatched experience,” as well as her ability to connect with the faculty.

“She’ll be able to be a bridge for administration and faculty,” Huddell said.

The current dean also appreciates Doriani’s talents. “I think she’ll be an excellent fit for Eastern,” Morgan said. “She deserves our courtesy and hospitality.”

Doriani began her collegiate career not in English, but in chemistry. Her parents were both science majors, and she believed she would follow in their footsteps. In her junior year, she switched to an English major and transferred to Calvin.

“The world opened up to me then. I knew I was in exactly the right place, both in terms of the major I was pursuing and the kind of college at which I was studying,” Doriani said.

She first encountered Eastern at a conference in 1993, where she met with Morgan, then a professor in the English department, and then-president Dr. Roberta Hestenes.

“I was impressed by all of these individuals I encountered, and I have never lost that favorable impression,” Doriani said.

Doriani is excited to meet the faculty, staff and students of Eastern, and she hopes to make “positive contributions to Eastern.

“I would love to be known as someone who works actively to help individuals grow, learn and discern their gifts and talents – not for individuals’ own narcissistic purposes, but all for the sake of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Doriani said.