Wichita State University has announced the appointment of Sarah Beth Estes as the new dean for the university’s largest school of study, the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, on Monday morning.
Estes previously served as the dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
During her campus visit to WSU last month, Estes said she had the opportunity to work alongside two former WSU deans while at UALR — Zulma Toro-Ramos, a former College of Engineering dean, and Lawrence Whitman, a former associate dean for Undergraduate Education.
“So for all of those years, I had heard a lot of lessons from Wichita State, a lot of adages from Wichita State …” Estes said during her campus visit.
During her time at UALR, Estes held several different titles — from associate dean to the coordinator for the Gender Studies program. Estes said she hopes to apply that wide range of experience at WSU to further R1 initiatives and ensure faculty success.
Estes will take over the role from interim dean David Eichhorn on July 6. Eichhorn served as interim dean after the departure of Andrew Hippisley last June.
