When Gordon Eisenman announced his resignation as dean in the College of Education last month, it came as a surprise even to those who worked with him closely.
Eisenman, who served as dean for two years, stepped down on Sept. 20. Paula Dohoney, the former associate dean of the College of Education, was asked to fill Eisenman’s vacant position on an interim basis following his resignation. Dohoney said she was shocked to say the least when she learned that Eisenman had resigned.
“I don’t know what the circumstances were (leading to Eisenman’s resignation),” Dohoney said. “He came in on that Wednesday (of his resignation) and shared with me that he’d gone to the president’s office and resigned. Literally, I had not a clue as to what was going to happen from that point forward, so when I was asked to be the interim dean, I was completely caught by surprise.”
William A. Bloodworth Jr., president of Augusta State University, said Eisenman had likely grown weary of the demands the position of dean of the College of Education required.
“It’s a difficult job,” Bloodworth said. “Education is a different animal (compared to other academic fields). I think Dr. Eisenman thought that it was best for him and the college, and his future if he stepped down.”
Dohoney, who described herself as Eisen-man’s “biggest fan,” praised the leadership qualities which he demonstrated during his tenure as dean and said he leaves behind big shoes to fill.
“He provided a vision for initiatives,” Dohoney said. “One of the initiatives happened to be our upcoming NCATE accreditation visit. NCATE accreditation is significant in that if we don’t have it, we are unable to certify teachers in Georgia. Dr. Eisenman provided the vision and the leadership in seeking that. He also has provided leadership and vision in grant writing. We received over a million dollars (for grant writing) last year. The year before he became dean, we received zero.”
Tammie Vickrey, the secretary to the dean in the College of Education, said Dohoney was an ideal selection to bridge the gap between Eisenman and the next dean, who will be hired before the end of next spring.
“She has made (the transition) as smooth as possible along with everybody else in the office,” Vickrey said. “She’s been here for two years, so she is familiar with the working of the College of Education and what needs to be. She will be obviously taking on a larger role now. There’s so much more that has to be done in that role, but (Dohoney) is a go-getter and a finisher. She gets things done that other people don’t want to get done. She makes sure that things are followed through with and done correctly every time.”
Although Eisenman is no longer serving as dean, he still remains a part of the College of Education. Vickrey said Eisenman elected to return to the teaching faculty, where he served prior to his appointment as dean, and will continue to have an influence in the college.
“With Dr. Eisenman still being here as a faculty member, Dr. Dohoney has the opportunity to have feedback from him if she has questions about things,” Vickrey said. “He still will have a very supporting role in the College of Education.”
Bloodworth said he expects Eisenman will be eager to begin teaching at the university again. “I think he is more than ready to return to the classroom,” Bloodworth said.
Bloodworth expressed appreciation for the way the members of the College of Education have picked up the slack to ensure the college does not skip a beat in spite of the abrupt change in leadership.
“The people in the College of Education have come together to keep the enterprise moving forward,” Bloodworth said. “Dr. Dohoney has stepped up to the plate, and the department chairs have all pitched in to make it work, so I think that everything will work out just fine.”