Sylvia Spears, director of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and acting senior associate Dean of the College, will take over as dean for two years, according to Scherr's e-mail, at which point the College will begin a national search to permanently fill the position. (Read more on Spears).
Crady was out of the office and unavailable for comment on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Crady's departure comes just two months into the tenure of new College President Jim Yong Kim. In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Kim called Crady a "passionate advocate for students," and said he had " every confidence in Sylvia Spears, and everyone in the Dean of the College area, to continue with this important work."
Kim was not available for further comment on Wednesday.
Scherr, in an interview with The Dartmouth on Tuesday afternoon, called the official announcement of Crady's departure "abrupt," and said that Crady informed him last week of his decision to leave the College and return to Iowa, where he previously served as vice president of student services at Grinnell College. Crady, however, had mentioned earlier this summer that he might make such a move, Scherr said.
"He has a variety of opportunities right now that he is pursuing. I can't be public about those right now because these are things that are in the works, but he's looking at several possibilities," Scherr said.
Crady's departure coincides with Grinnell's search for a new president, as the college's current president, Russell Osgood, announced in May 2009 that he would step down in July 2010. Grinnell has hired the Boston-based search firm Isaacson, Miller the same firm responsible for Dartmouth's recent presidential search to manage the search process, according to Grinnell Director of Media Relations Cindy Deppe. Isaacson, Miller was founded by John Isaacson '68.
In a letter to the Dean of the College's staff on Tuesday, sent to The Dartmouth by Roland Adams, the College's director of media relations, Crady did not specifically enumerate the reasons behind his departure, but said the decision to leave the College was a "difficult" one.
"I had anticipated working with you for many years to come," Crady said in the letter, noting that his choice was made especially difficult because he had been "particularly enthusiastic about our new president, Jim Yong Kim, and his aspirations for Dartmouth."
Crady called the departure a "family decision" in the letter. He said that his wife will return to her position as a counselor, while his children will return to their old schools and he will "engage in a series of new projects."
Crady's announcement comes in the wake of significant restructuring in the First-Year Office and the Upperclass Dean's Office, which were merged last week.
Crady's administration was defined by his stated aim to interact more closely with students. He instituted weekly office hours in the Collis Center and was actively involved in managing relations with the College's Greek system. He was also instrumental in the development of the College's Alcohol Management Policy, an as-yet unfinished attempt to improve on the previous Social Events Management Policy.
