Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby announced the appointment yesterday of three “divisional deans” to oversee broad groupings of academic departments, the latest in a series of administrative reorganizations Kirby has undertaken since he assumed office last summer.

Kirby wrote in a letter to faculty that the appointment of the deans, who will occupy a new level on the University Hall power structure between Kirby and the department chairs, aims to “improve communication, facilitate research, and expedite the recruitment of new colleagues.”

As of Sept. 1, Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures Maria M. Tatar will become dean for the humanities; Loeb Professor of Social Sciences David M. Cutler, an economist, will become dean for the social sciences; and Dean of the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (DEAS) Venkatesh “Venky” Narayanamurti will add dean of the physical sciences to his title. A nationwide search for a dean for the life sciences is ongoing, Kirby said.

Unlike Kirby’s surprise announcement of his intent to merge the offices responsible for students’ academic and non-academic lives in March, this latest restructuring has been mentioned as under consideration through much of Kirby’s first year in office.

Divisional deanships had been discussed during the tenure of Kirby’s predecessor as dean, Jeremy R. Knowles, and were included as an option in a 1994 report on the structure of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ (FAS) administration.

The appointments come at an important moment for FAS, as professors and administrators get to work on an overhaul of the undergraduate curriculum, and plan to expand the Faculty by 10 percent over the next decade.

While Kirby wrote that the exact duties of the new deans have yet to be finalized, he said they will lead academic planning on the divisional level, help to allocate resources and have an advisory role in the faculty appointment process.

Knowles wrote in an e-mail that he approved of the move.

“This is a good plan, and its time has come,” he wrote in an e-mail.

Tatar, too, said she thought her appointment came at an opportune moment.

“The humanities are in a state of flux now, so this is a good time to think about what lies ahead, how we can take advantage of new initiatives,” she said.

Developing Deanships

Though the deans’ duties will vary from area to area, Kirby wrote in a press statement that one of their primary objectives will be to break down barriers between departments and fields.

“Our success in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences rests on our respect for each other’s unique contributions, and our openness to collaboration and innovation,” he said. “I look forward to seeing what we, as a Faculty, can accomplish in and across our disciplinary and divisional structures.”

Tatar echoed Kirby, saying that she sees fostering interdisciplinary cooperation as an integral part of her new job.