In this newly created position, Wallis will help develop and implement the academic vision for the College and complement the important work of the associate dean of faculty and the dean of faculty. The new associate dean will have primary responsibility for accreditation efforts as well as the assessment and evaluation of the academic program.
“It’s really an honor and a privilege to serve in such a position and work collaboratively with colleagues from all across campus,” said Wallis. “It’s hard for me to overstate how much I owe this college because, though I came to Whittier with all the requisite diplomas, I think Whittier remains the core of my real education. The chance to pair, team teach, and to work with others and be challenged by them has been as formative as anything I have experienced in education or life.”
Since joining Whittier in 1999, Wallis has been on many faculty committees serving as faculty chair from 2010 to 2012, and led the Department of Modern Languages for four years. In January of 2016, he was also named the director of the Office of International Programs.
“In his numerous roles on campus, Wallis has gained a reputation as a consensus builder by not only assuring disparate faculty voices were heard, but respecting the opinions of staff and administrators as well,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs Darrin Good. “He has also been an innovator on campus.”
An advocate for international programs, Wallis has also been instrumental in implementing the College’s new Global Poet Scholarship (GPS) Program, where every student is eligible to receive up to $2,000 in scholarship aid to travel abroad. He is also a commissioner for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
