Both Knowles and Wolff say these roles have equipped Ellison with the analytical and leadership skills necessary to lead GSAS.
While Ellison says he enjoys working with a broader cross-section of faculty as dean than he did in his other roles, he looks forward to teaching full-time after his term as dean concludes.
"I'm quite willing to [be dean] for awhile. One would have to do this job for at least five or six years to really make a contribution," he says.
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"But I look forward with delight to returning to being a professor, to joining my colleagues again in the trenches of academia," Ellison adds.