Kerry Wilks will take over as interim dean of the Graduate School on Jan. 1 — replacing Dennis Livesay, who was named dean of the College of Engineering last month.

Wilks, who currently serves as assistant dean of the Graduate School and an associate Spanish professor, joined Wichita State in 2004.

As interim dean, Wilks will not serve in Livesay’s other vacated position as associate vice president for research and technology transfer, a university press release stated.

Andrew Hippisley, dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will chair a search for Livesay’s full-time replacement. WSU plans to have a dean in place by July 1, 2019, the release stated.

Wilks’s focus is in Spanish literature and Latin American theater, according to her staff profile. She is also an “avid Golden Retriever lover.”