Lund and Fields announce departures from Wilkes

Last week two Wilkes administrators—a member of the President's cabinet and an academic Dean—announced that they will depart NEPA for new positions at other institutions.

Maggie Lund, vice president of human resources and organizational development for Wilkes University, announced  that she will finish her tenure on December 19 and will assume responsibilities as senior vice president for the Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 5.   Lund's departure will create the fifth Wilkes cabinet vacancy in three years. Dr. Darin Fields, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, has accepted the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty position at Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, and will leave Wilkes after 15 years on January 9.

Lund's new employer, CHP, is the largest health system in Ohio and the seventh largest Catholic health system in the nation, which includes care hospitals, senior living communities, social service agencies, ambulatory health centers, health and fitness facilities, and other entities. Lund will supervise one of the four CHP districts.

 Lund began her Wilkes post in June 2007. She explained that she was never actually seeking to leave Wilkes, but the opportunity of a new job came to her.  

 “I received a phone call from the CEO of CHP, a former boss,” said Lund. “I was not unhappy. I was not looking for a job, and I wasn’t seeking anything. I liked the continued challenges and positive opportunities at Wilkes,” she added. Nevertheless, Lund believed CHP offered her a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and she felt that if she did not do it, she would regret it.

 Petra Carver, vice president for finance and support, will play a major leadership role for the Human Resources Department, while Wilkes administrators decide how to best move forward. Along with Carver guiding the Human Resources direct reports, Joe Housenick, director of human resources, will work directly with Carver managing day-to-day operations. In addition, Lund has numerous committee assignments, all of which will be evaluated as to how best to move forward.

 “I will take on operations management for human resources on a day to day basis,” Carver stated. “It’s bittersweet. We are all excited and happy for her [Lund]. On the other hand, it is a huge loss for us because she was a great colleague, a good friend of mine and we will miss her dearly. She was really good at what she was doing." Carver has worked in human resources at prior positions, so is familiar with key issues associated with the field. Lund's departure will at least temporarily change Carver's workload.

 “We are presently discussing our options and no final decision has been made,” said Dr. Tim Gilmour, president of Wilkes University. One of the options might be to have a national search for a future vice president of human resources. But a national search can cost approximately $35,000, Gilmour explained.

 “We review all senior positions when an incumbent leaves to determine if they are the wisest investment of resources for the achievement of university goals,” Gilmour said in response to whether selecting a new vp of human resources is effected by economic or financial issues.

 “As with all departures of senior people here at Wilkes, Maggie will leave a huge gap in our leadership. She is the consummate professional and someone who cares deeply about people. But when you hire talented people, you have to expect that other organizations will seek them out and the opportunity she has before her significantly advances her career. We all wish her well, and know we will miss her,” said Gilmour.

 Lund's parents live in the area, so it was tough for her to choose to work far away. During two weekends of the month, Lund plans to fly back to Pennsylvania to see her family and work from home. CHP's support of this arrangement reflects how some organizations are becoming more flexible with work ethics.

 “There really is a great sense of accomplishing through cooperation and collaboration [at Wilkes], whether it is between faculty and administration, faculty and students, etc. I’ve seen it in various forms. When I met with Dr. Gilmour to tell him about the opportunity, I saw the thread of consistency…he was very happy for me,” Lund commented.

Because word of Fields’s departure from the university was not released until late Friday afternoon, The Beacon did not have time to contact him for comment before publication.  However, in an email to the community Fields wrote: “In my 15 years at Wilkes, it has been an honor to work with so many dedicated and talented faculty and staff, and it has been a privilege to teach and be part of the lives of our students.  I cherish deeply all of the friendships I have developed over these years, and I am proud of all of the work we have accomplished together.  I have ‘grown up’ at this institution, and the lessons and skills I have learned here will unquestionably serve me well in my future endeavors.”

According to Bethany College’s website, Fields will begin his new role of vice president of Student Affairs and dean of Faculty on February 16.  Fields was selected from 80 applicants in a national search run by the college.  Bethany College is West Virginia’s oldest private college and has an enrollment of approximately 850 students.

 “Our loss is Bethany College’s gain,” said C. Reynold Verret, provost, in an announcement to the Wilkes community Friday.  “We deeply appreciate the leadership and imagination that he has exercised during his tenure among us.  We wish him the best in his new position.”

Fields began at Wilkes as an assistant professor of English in 1993 and became associate professor and Chair of the Division of Humanities in 1999.  He was appointed to Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in 2003.  During his 15 years with Wilkes, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award in 1994 and was named the Carpenter Outstanding Teacher of the Year at Wilkes in 2001.

According to Verret, an interim dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will be announced shortly.