USCL dean steps down

Dr. John Catalano has decided to return full time to his chief passion.
Catalano, dean at University of South Carolina Lancaster for 11 years, announced he will step down from the post, effective Dec. 31.
Beginning in January 2013, he will be a full-time instructor of philosophy and logic.
He informed USCL’s faculty and staff of his decision in an e-mail June 10.
“At the end of this calendar year, I will be giving up my position as dean. I have decided that it is time for me to return to the faculty full time,” Catalano said in the e-mail.
“Next spring, I will be teaching a full load of philosophy and logic courses,” he said. “Teaching has always been the favorite part of my job at the university and I look forward to making it my full-time job again.”
Catalano, 57, has been a USCL faculty member for 30 years. He later became interested in the dean’s post because, at the time, “I just envisioned a campus that could be a lot more.”
In the June 10 e-mail, Catalanomentioned many of the ways the campus has grown over the past decade.
The student enrollment has doubled. Nearly 40 acres of land and more than 100,000 square feet of usable classroom and office space have been added to the campus.
Catalano mentioned the addition of the Carole Ray Dowling Center and the growth of the Native American Studies program, which will soon move into its own building in downtown Lancaster.
“We have raised millions (of dollars),” he said. “We have solidified bonds with the city and county officials that will pay dividends for years.”
Also, security and beautification have been emphasized, while the campus continues to add sports. More than 150 student athletes will be part of the fall enrollment, he said.
“I am proud of these and other accomplishments, all of which came during a time of decreasing support from the state,” Catalano told faculty and staff members. “I realize that none of these changes could have happened without the support and hard work of each of you, and for that I will always be grateful.”
Catalano is in his third year (of five) under the state’s TERI (Teacher and Employee Retention Incentive) program, which allows an educator to technically retire and earn retirement while continuing to work.
Over the past 11 years, Catalano still taught courses on a part-time basis, while serving as dean. He will teach full time over the next two years before retiring for good.
Finding a new dean
Hugh Mobley, a Lancaster resident who serves on USC’s board of trustees, said a special search committee will be formed to find Catalano’s successor.
In the meantime, Mobley said it’s highly possible USC will name an interim dean.
“We wish that we could have somebody like (Catalano) for a long, long time and not come to this point,” Mobley said.
“John has been such a valuable asset to the campus, the USC system and to Lancaster.”