Tilton stays active at TWU despite increased responsibility as interim dean of College of Arts and Sciences
Nadiyah Suleiman, Page Editor
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Ann Staton recently retired after ten years of dedicated service to the college.
Long-time faculty Dr. Abigail Tilton is now serving as the interim dean for the college, until a permanent replacement is chosen. Tilton, who served as the Program Director for Social Work and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has worked closely with the College of Arts and Sciences and brings valuable experiences to her position as interim dean.
Tilton stated: “I’ve been intimately involved with the workings of the dean’s office for a little over three years, so when Dr. Staton announced her retirement it just seemed like the natural thing to do.” Tilton said: “We needed some leadership for the college; I was very well acquainted with everything that was going on, so I thought I could serve the university by stepping in.”
Tilton has been actively participating in the TWU community ever since she arrived in 2003 and has served on countless committees, including the Strategic Planning Committee. The Strategic Planning Committee has faculty, staff and students contributing to the planning process, creating a diverse atmosphere. Tilton said: “I love working in that cross-cutting collaborative atmosphere, I think it’s one of the things TWU does best. I’m always really happy when that’s our approach.”
The university has benefitted from Tilton’s interest not only in committees but also in her students and fellow colleagues. Expanding on the preexisting Just Write program, a writing program to help graduate students work on their dissertations and theses, Tilton implemented a Just Write for Faculty and Staff, helping faculty and staff complete publications and presentations. Tilton’s current duties as interim dean have forced her to allow others to continue this project while she is otherwise occupied.
Tilton shared: “Gretchen Busl from English has sort of taken that over to push it forward to the next level, and she will do an absolutely beautiful job. It’s in excellent hands. I think she’s also working with Jörg Waltje from the Center for Faculty Excellence.”
Despite being active in several areas of the university and managing the largest college on campus, housing around 15 departments and over 5,000 students, Tilton remains undaunted and optimistic saying: “One day, I was over in the Dance Department, looking at the dance floor and their air conditioning unit, and the next day I was over in Old Main looking at office and lab space for faculty members we’re trying to recruit and dealing with, seriously, things like mouse operant cages — and that’s just fun.”
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