Prof. Alexander Colvin Ph.D. ’99, associate dean for academic affairs, diversity, and faculty development and Martin F. Scheinman Professor of Conflict Resolution, has been named the interim dean of the School of Labor and Industrial Relations after the former dean Prof. Kevin Hallock was named the new leader of the SC Johnson College of Business.
Colvin, who joined the ILR school in 2008, assumed the position on Tuesday, Oct. 9, and will serve as dean until a new one is appointed. The University will begin searching for candidates for the position immediately, Provost Michael Kotlikoff said.
“I am very excited to be taking on the new role leading the ILR School,” Colvin said to The Sun in an email. “The School is a great place with wonderful faculty, staff, students, and alumni, who I look forward to working with. It embodies the best of Cornell’s research excellence, education that bridges traditional fields in exciting collaborations, and commitment to our public outreach mission.”
Before taking on this role, Colvin contributed to Cornell both through his teaching, which focuses on employment dispute resolutions, and his research on employment arbitration and labor and employment law changes in Australia, Germany, Italy and the United States, according to the ILR website.
“Alex is extremely smart, has the highest standards, is balanced and loves ILR. I have been lucky to work very closely with him for the last few years. He will be terrific in this role,” Hallock said in an interview with the Cornell Chronicle, which is run by the University.
Colvin currently leads a curriculum review for ILR and is responsible for searching for six new faculty members to replace those retiring. Now as interim dean, Colvin will try to finalize the process, which also prioritizes recruitment of diverse faculty members.
“I intend to make it a top priority that the School use these searches to hire a high quality and diverse group of new faculty to join our ranks,” Colvin told The Sun.
Colvin also serves as an associate member of the law school faculty, and as an ILR associate dean, he has worked closely with Hallock in academic operations and has also supervised courses and curriculum planning for undergraduates.
Another initiative that Colvin will be working on is moving ILR’s New York City office to a new location on Lexington Avenue this winter — a change he believes “will provide excellent facilities for our work in the city and is a commitment to our outreach and educational mission in the city and beyond.”
Before coming to Cornell, Colvin was a professor at Pennsylvania State University in the department of labor studies and industrial relations and also spent many years at the University of Toronto, where he received a Bachelor of Science in astronomy and astrophysics, a Juris Doctorate and a master’s in industrial relations.
Colvin is a published author and has penned papers in the Australian Journal of Labor Law and co-authored the textbook An Introduction to U.S. Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations.