On Monday, August 22nd, the Dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy, Dr. Steven Martin, sent an email to the pharmacy students and faculty welcoming them back to the Fall 2022 semester. Packed with information, the email read a bit long, but sneakily, Dean Martin included this message at the very end:
If you made it this far in the email, congratulations! My last bit of news is of a personal nature. This will be my last year as your dean; I will be retiring from ONU at the end of June 2023. This is my ninth year as dean, my 30th year in academia, and in 2023 I’ll celebrate 40 years as a pharmacist. I’ve had a long and incredibly rewarding career, with many of my fondest memories coming from these past years at ONU as dean of the Raabe College. I look forward to signing another 118 diplomas this spring, and to a busy year in which we all will undoubtedly celebrate many successes and achievements, individually and collectively.”
-Dean Steven Martin
With his official announcement of his retirement from his ninth year as Dean, students still had questions on their mind of the news. Luckily, Dean Martin was up for answering them! Read the Q&A below:
Why retire now?
“I’ve anticipated retiring when my kids are done with high school and off to college. My youngest is finishing high school this year and planning to start college in the fall. Also, my mother-in-law has lived with us for the past 15 years, and earlier this year we transitioned her into a new facility. Those two major changes for us make retirement for me much easier! I’ll also say that I don’t think deans should last forever. I’ve been in the dean role for the Raabe College for 9 years, and other than making it an even 10, I think it’s time for a new dean to take the program to the next level.”
What are you looking forward to the most during retirement?
“I look forward to having time. Time for whatever I decide to do with it, but time that is mine to use. My days are long now; in addition to the work day I have about 2.5 hours of commute time each day. I also have the bad habit of working at home in the mornings or evenings and/or weekends. I look forward to not doing any of those things! There are many things I’d like to do with my time. My wife and I enjoy traveling, and we look forward to doing much more of that. There are several local organizations for whom I’d like to volunteer my time and experience, and I’d like to be more engaged with my church’s ministries. I’m sure there will be professional opportunities that come up as well. It will be nice to sleep past 5 am, and go to bed later than 9:30 pm.”
What will you miss the most about working at ONU?
“I’ll miss a lot of things. I truly love the people with whom I work in the Raabe College and across the university. I enjoy meeting and talking with our alumni. I’ll miss the challenges that we’ve addressed, and the projects that keep me thinking strategically. But I will most miss being around and working with our students. They are the lifeblood of the college and the university. They keep us old academics young at heart, and they give me such confidence in the future. I will miss being an adviser, being a teacher, and being a mentor and helper to our student pharmacists.”
How does the selection for a new dean work?
“ONU will engage in a nationwide search for my successor. We’ve hired a search firm that will coordinate and drive the process. We have identified a collaborative search committee from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and advisers. I anticipate we will have applications for them to consider around the first of the year, with final candidates coming to campus in mid to late February. Hopefully our next dean will be announced in early March. I look forward to working with individuals to prepare them to take over my role, and to be prepared for our upcoming re-accreditation visit in fall 2023.”