CLASS Dean to Retire at End of Academic Year
Belmont’s dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences will retire at the end of the 2027 spring semester.
Dr. Bryce Sullivan came to Belmont in 2008, nearly twenty years ago, as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. That college split into the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 2014.
Dr. Maggie Monteverde, professor of English, said Sullivan has worked hard to create a sense of unity within the college as he built CLASS.
"In many ways, Bryce had to create that idea from scratch. It didn't exist when he came," said Monteverde.
"It is under his leadership that this college came into being and exists as a college. And I think he has tried hard to create a sense of us as a college. I think that's been particularly true in the last few years where he's really worked to try and have us come together as a college, and not just for meetings," she said.
Over the years, one of his biggest goals has been to support the people he leads – faculty, students and staff.
“I hope that people remember me as someone who led fairly, who supported faculty, staff, and students. That's really the most important thing a dean does, support the people in their college. And I’ve put a lot of energy into that,” he said.
Monteverde said Sullivan truly cares about his faculty and consistently checks in, especially if he knows they're having a rough time.
"The last two years have been very difficult for me because of illness with my husband. And he's always been very clear with me that if I need to take time, he would support that," she said.
Sullivan says he will miss all the people he works with at Belmont.
“When you've been at a place for almost two decades, you develop very deep friendships and relationships with people. You know, we're all working together toward a common end,” he said.
He plans to stay connected. Since he lives just down the street, it’ll be easy for him to stop by. Sullivan said he may attend basketball games or events like the Humanity Symposium.
When he visits, he hopes that Belmont will continue to thrive.
“I just hope that and expect that whoever comes in as a new dean will continue to look for new opportunities for faculty and staff and students and continue to be innovative and entrepreneurial,” he said.
Written by Olivia Abernathy
As your run progresses, the game's procedural terrain generation introduces a mix of static and moving barriers: