The Griffon News

     At the end of January, Western will say goodbye to its dean of the Western Institute, Christopher Shove.

Shove will be resigning, as he has been given the great opportunity to serve as vice provost of Alfaisal University, a brand new school of research located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Shove said he was contacted by a national search firm, and he gladly accepted the offer, as it was his previous boss who offered him the position.

     “It’s an exciting opportunity for me,” Shove said.

Shove will have the chance to play a part in the modernization of higher education in Saudi Arabia.

   “The university is an American-style university on purpose,” Shove said.

     Shove’s absence will mean that Joseph Bragin, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, will be filling in for him in the meantime.

Bragin would like to find someone to replace Shove before the end of the spring semester.

  “The best time to start looking is in the fall, so we’re at a disadvantage because we didn’t know he was leaving,” Bragin said.

He thinks Western will ultimately find someone creative enough and effective enough to take Shove’s place and they will keep looking until they do, which shouldn’t take long.

     “He [Shove] has been very effective in the position,” Bragin said. “We’re not about to hire just anybody to fill the position right away.”

In Saudi Arabia, Shove’s new job will be relatively similar to his old one.

  “It will be much broader in scope,” Shove said.

     The University he will be working at is a brand new research University, and because of its novelty, his duties will consist of a little bit of everything.

Shove recently visited the school for the first time in November of 2007, where he got a taste of what his new working life would be like.

     With a science building of two million square feet, Alfaisal University will be the first co-ed university in Saudi Arabia.

   Shove’s journey in participating in the modernization of higher education will begin soon, as he leaves Friday, February 1.

He has made numerous contributions to Western since he started in 2004.

While he has been here, the Western Institute received regional and state recognition for its programs in adult and continuing education.