Ann Weick said she never intended to be the longest-tenured dean at Kansas University.

She never intended to be a dean at all. She figured it would be too much time sitting behind a desk for her taste.

When she was appointed acting dean of the School of Social Welfare in 1987, she expected to assume the role for a year and then return to teaching.

Eighteen years later, Weick has announced plans to retire from the university at the end of the 2005-06 school year after a long tenure in the position.

“I entered this role believing I never would want to be a dean,” she said. “But it’s been a wonderful job.”

Weick, 64, announced her intentions to faculty and staff Friday morning, though she said she hadn’t set an exact date for her retirement. KU officials plan to launch a national search for her replacement.

“That’s a long run,” said David Shulenburger, provost and executive vice chancellor. “During the time she’s been dean, the school has become a powerhouse in terms of research. They’ve gone from nothing to $4 million to $5 million of external research now. They’re making their mark.”

Weick came to KU in 1976 as an assistant professor after teaching at Boston University and the University of Oregon. She was appointed acting dean when Patricia Ewalt left KU and was named permanently to the position a year later.

The school is ranked eighth in the nation among public universities by U.S. News and World Report magazine.

Weick

Weick helped start a bachelor’s of social welfare degree with Kansas City, Kan., Community College and began offering upper-level courses in the Kansas City area.

Weick was inducted to the KU Women’s Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the Outstanding Social Work Faculty Award in 1987.

The School of Social Welfare is KU’s smallest school by enrollment, with about 550 students, including 375 in its master’s program. There are 30 faculty members.

She said informing the public about the school’s mission — which includes training students to work and conduct research in areas such as child welfare, aging, mental health and community development — was always a challenge as dean.

“I think social work will always have to explain itself, and academic social work is no exception,” she said. “I’d call it a more modest profession. It’s in place to serve others.”

In her retirement, Weick said she hopes to write more on the field of social work, learn Spanish and spend time on community projects.

Meet the Deans (08-14-04)

Shulenburger said he didn’t know whether KU would ever have another dean who will serve as long as Weick, with current higher education trends with increased fund-raising and litigation leading to more turnover in the dean position.

“I hope we have great deans like Ann who provide that continuity,” he said. “But it’s very true that it is much more difficult to be a dean than it was when Ann started.”