Sanni said that she could only find one other instance of this arrangement in the country--Cheryl and Jim Keen, who share the position of academic dean at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Unlike the Keens, however, Singer and Willett are not married to each other.
"I think it's actually healthy that we're not a married couple," Singer said. "One of the reasons we collaborate well is that we don't always agree with each other."
Singer and Willett did seem to agree on the benefits and challenges of sharing their position. Although they said that communication between the two could have been a problem in sharing the academic dean position, they added that the advantages of cooperating easily outweigh the challenges.
"It forces you to be much more explicit about things you might not have to think about if you process them internally," Singer said.
"The big advantage is that you have someone to talk to," Willett added.
Still, the pair said they have no plans of remaining in an administrative role. Singer and Willett said they are committing to the position for only three years, at which time they'll concentrate fully on teaching and research.
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