Office of the Dean

Benjamin C. Withers

Dean

Contact

bwithers@iastate.edu

515-294-3220

202 Catt Hall
2529 Union Dr.
Ames, IA 50011-2030

Benjamin C. Withers, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, oversees the most academically diverse college at Iowa State University. With 21 academic departments, one professional school, over 50 undergraduate majors, and more than 20 cross-disciplinary programs, the college is a cornerstone of nearly every major offered at Iowa State.

Before starting his tenure at Iowa State in April 2024, Withers served as the dean of Colorado State University’s College of Liberal Arts. He led the college through a 30% increase in incoming first-year students, the addition of 100 new tenure-track faculty, and secured significant salary increases for faculty and staff. Partnering with his development team, Withers also helped achieve record-breaking philanthropic success, acquiring two of the largest gifts in college history.

Additional leadership roles include department chair, dean of undergraduate studies, director of the honors program, and associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Kentucky. Withers’ robust blend of leadership experience is bolstered by a passion for championing collaboration, strategic planning, advocating for the arts and sciences, and empowering impactful multidisciplinary research.

Withers received his master’s degree and Ph.D. in art history from the University of Chicago, with a focus on early medieval manuscripts. Prior to his leadership roles at Colorado State and the University of Kentucky, he served as professor and assistant dean for the Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend. With three books/edited collections and nearly 40 professional publications, his work in art history is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Whiting Foundation, the Ameritech/SBC Foundation, and others.

Arne Hallam

Associate Dean

Contact

ahallam@iastate.edu

515-294-5861

239 Catt Hall
2529 Union Dr.
Ames, IA 50011-2030

Administration: Budget, Personnel, Promotion and Tenure, IT, Computation Advisory Committee, Space, Online and Distance Education, International Students and Scholars.

Arne Hallam is a Professor of Economics at Iowa State and has served as Associate Dean for Finance and Operations since 2009. He received his B.S. in agricultural economics from Brigham Young University (1977), and M.S. (1980) and PhD (1983) degrees in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

He joined the faculty of the economics department at Iowa State University in 1983. He served as Chair of the Department of Economics from 2000-2009. Hallam has served as major professor for 26 graduate students as a committee member for more than 100 additional students. He has taught 24 different courses since leaving graduate school including courses in economic theory, mathematical economics, agricultural economics, industrial organization, agricultural ethics, and global sustainability. Hallam’s research relates to the economics of agriculture, resources, the environment, energy, economies of size and scale, risk and uncertainty, and sustainability.

Arne Hallam’s role as Associate Dean is a full-time college appointment.

Contact for questions about:

• Budget Approvals
• Hiring of Faculty and Staff
• Promotion and Tenure Policies
• Course Availability – Budget and Personnel
• Funding for Lectures, Conferences
• Information Technology
• LASCASTLE (IT) Proposals
• International Programs
• Online and Distance Education
• Space and Facilities
• Sustainability and Green Initiatives
• Travel
• Miller Lecture Series
• Testing Center

Monic Behnken

Associate Dean

Contact

mbehnken@iastate.edu

515-294-8379

213 Catt Hall
2529 Union Dr.
Ames, IA 50011-2030

Monic Behnken is the inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Dr. Behnken is also an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and served as the director of the Leadership Studies Program at Iowa State University from 2019-2021.

A first generation college student, Behnken completed her B.A. in psychology at the University of Houston. She then completed a joint J.D./Ph.D. program in psychology and the law, earning her Juris Doctorate degree from Golden Gate University School of Law and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. Behnken is licensed to practice law in Iowa and California. Her research focuses on designing and implementing alternative adjudication programs for mentally disordered offenders and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in complex systems.

Behnken brings to this role her interdisciplinary training and broad range of experiences leading diverse groups to make sustainable progress on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She prioritizes collaboration, policy-based change, and integrating DEI efforts into daily practice among students, staff, and faculty.

Contact for questions about:

• Improving culture and climate within the College
• Equitable and Inclusive Practices
• DEI-related Professional Development and Continuing Education Opportunities
• LAS Diversity Committee
• LAS STEM Scholars
• LAS Multicultural Student Success Program
• LAS Faculty Success Advisor

Leslie Hogben

Associate Dean

Contact

hogben@iastate.edu

515-294-8168

237 Catt Hall
2529 Union Dr.
Ames, IA 50011-2030

Leslie Hogben, professor of mathematics, received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1978. Her research is in linear algebra, graph theory, and applications. She has supervised more than 20 doctoral students and 5 postdoctoral scholars.

Leslie Hogben’s role as Associate Dean is a shared time appointment with the Department of Mathematics.

Contact for questions about:

• Graduate programs and policies
• Postdoctoral policies
• Faculty and staff awards
• Faculty Professional Development Assignments

Jo Anne Powell-Coffman

Associate Dean

Contact

japc@iastate.edu

515-294-3906

235 Catt Hall
2529 Union Dr.
Ames, IA 50011-2030

Jo Anne Powell-Coffman is a Professor in the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, and she has served as Associate Dean for Research since July 1, 2019. She earned her B.S. in physiology at the University of California, Davis in 1986, and her Ph.D. in biology at the University of California, San Diego in 1993. She furthered her training as a postdoctoral research fellow in Boulder, Colorado in the field of developmental genetics before joining the ISU faculty in 1998. Her research program focuses on the mechanisms by which animals sense and adapt to their environments. She has also contributed to interdisciplinary grant-funded projects that aim to improve student success. She served as Chair of Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology 2011– 2018.

Jo Anne Powell-Coffman’s role as Associate Dean is a shared time appointment with the Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology.

Contact for questions about:

• Research funding opportunities
• Startup and large equipment funding
• Pre-award support
• LAS Centers
• Interdisciplinary programs of research and scholarship
• Advancing LAS research

Amy Slagell

Associate Dean

Contact

aslagell@iastate.edu

515-294-7740

233 Catt Hall
2529 Union Dr.
Ames, IA 50011-2030

Amy Slagell earned her B.S.C. in communication at Ohio University in 1983. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in rhetoric and American public address at the University of Wisconsin and, before coming to Iowa as the director of the public speaking program in 1996, spent several years teaching in Birmingham, AL. From 2006-2013 Amy led the Speech Communication Program in the Department of English. Her research explores contemporary public speaking pedagogy and 19th century public address with a particular focus on the impact of cultural and institutional structures that constrain the visibility and rhetorical choices of women as public speakers.

She has served as the Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College since 2013.

Amy Slagell’s role as Associate Dean is a full-time college appointment.

Contact for questions about:

• Curriculum Development
• Cross-Disciplinary Studies Programs
• Community College Articulation and Regents Connections
• External Reviews of LAS Programs – Policies and Planning
• Regents Committee on Educational Relations
• Learning Outcomes and Assessment
• Student Grievances
• Undergraduate Certificate Programs

Kent Kerby

Assistant Dean

Contact

kentk@iastate.edu

515-294-0173

235 Catt Hall
2529 Union Dr.
Ames, IA 50011-2030

Kent Kerby earned his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Alberta in Edmonton (1986). He was a postdoctoral fellow at the DOE-Plant Research Lab at Michigan State University, Chair and Professor of the Department of Biology at Elmhurst College, Visiting Research Fellow at the Risoe National Laboratories in Roskilde, Denmark, and Director of Stem and Associate Director of Biology at Kansas State University. His research explores plant genetics with a focus on evolution and disease resistance in plants.

Kerby joined the faculty of the Department of Genetics Development and Cell Biology in 2017 and serves as Assistant Dean in the College.

Contact for questions about:

High impact activities for undergraduates including:

• Honors activities
• Research
• Study abroad
• Leadership
• Internships