Bidwell Named Arts and Sciences Dean

BIDWELL NAMED DEAN OF COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Dr. Joe Bidwell, an internationally respected scientist who has published well-received work on topics ranging from climate to reptiles, will lead East Tennessee State University’s College of Arts and Sciences as Dean.

Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academics at ETSU, announced the appointment in May following a months-long search.

“Dr. Bidwell emerged from a field of outstanding candidates,” McCorkle said. “Dr. Bidwell’s successes at ETSU, including faculty recruitment and strategic planning, made him an ideal choice. We look forward to all that Dr. Bidwell and his team will accomplish.”

Bidwell, who served nearly two years as Interim Dean of the college, has a range of goals as he assumes his post. The College of Arts and Sciences, home to 18 departments ranging from Art and Design to Chemistry, is the center of general education at the university.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this appointment,” said Bidwell. “Along with our exceptional faculty, I will work to continue to elevate the College of Arts and Sciences at East Tennessee State University.”

In the months ahead, Bidwell would like to see the college explore additional opportunities for interdisciplinary programs between departments, as well as with other colleges and universities. He wants the college to foster equity and inclusion, as well as adopt a culture that is trauma- and resilience-informed.

“I would also like to continue to promote shared governance with department chairs, faculty, staff, and students since we are all part of the team that makes the college,” he said.

Bidwell became Interim Dean of the college in August 2020. He succeeded Dr. Gordon Anderson, who retired after more than a dozen years leading the college. During his tenure as Interim Dean, Bidwell successfully led a number of efforts related to faculty recruitment, strategic planning, program development, facility improvements, and diversity and inclusion.

“Certainly, the greatest thing about the role of interim was getting to know my colleagues better. I gained a better appreciation of the diversity of the disciplines, as well as the needs of the departments,” he said. “I also gained a lot of appreciation for the challenges that Dean Anderson had faced before me.”

At ETSU, Bidwell has served as Chair of the Council of Academic Chairs and was a Presidential Fellow in 2019. He has been active in strategic planning efforts across campus and recently chaired the ETSU Committee for 125 Chapter II Task Force on Research and Scholarship.

Bidwell first joined the ETSU faculty in 2014 as Chair and Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. He previously held the chair’s position at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and Oklahoma State University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Siena College in Loudonville, New York, and was awarded his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in zoology from Virginia Tech.

Since joining the ETSU faculty, he has completed work funded by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. A wellpublished scientist, Bidwell recently had journal articles appear in Ecotoxicology, Austral Ecology, Northern Territory Naturalist, Journal of Arid Environments, Journal of Experimental Biology, and Ethology Ecology and Evolution. Throughout his career, he has been highly active in supervising the research and honors studies of many graduate and doctoral students.

“ETSU offers current and potential students so much, and the College of Arts and Sciences is at the center of it,” Bidwell said.

O.J. Early is Marketing and Communications Specialist in ETSU’s Office of University Marketing and Communications. | Photo by Charlie Warden