Big administration changes will be coming to Iowa State in the coming months.

The university is currently in the midst of conducting five searches for upper-level administrative positions. Two of these vacancies are due to retirements, while those in the other three positions decided to resign from their current posts.

Annette Hacker, program director in the Office of University Relations, said it is not so unusual for a university to have so many openings at one time.

“Back in 2009, we had three dean searches [in design, engineering and human sciences] occurring simultaneously,” she said.

The first resignation predates the arrival of President Steven Leath. Former Dean of Students Dionne Somerville left her position in June 2011 to become vice president of student affairs at Bloomberg University in Pennsylvania.

A search committee formed by ISU Vice President of Student Affairs Tom Hill is currently looking into potential candidates for the position from a pool formed by the academic research group Spelman & Johnson. Open forums with the candidates will likely be announced in the coming weeks.

Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Hoffman announced her resignation this past February. She plans to step down in December 2012 unless a candidate is found sooner or she accepts another position.

In an interview with the Daily soon after her announcement, Hoffman said that former ISU President Gregory Geoffroy’s decision to step down combined with the arrival of a new administration played a role in her decision. Currently, a search committee formed by Leath is beginning the process of coming together to find candidates for the position. Wendy Wintersteen, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Administration, serves as chairwoman of the committee.

The College of Business has been looking for a new dean since former Dean Labh Hira announced in October he would be stepping down. The search was put on hold following Hoffman’s announcement and will be pursued again once the new provost is in place. In the meantime, Michael Crum, associate dean in supply chain and information systems, will serve as interim dean beginning July 1.

Kathy Jones, registrar and assistant vice president for Student Affairs, announced in February that she will be retiring at the end of the year. Hill also has appointed a search committee to interview potential candidates, with open forums scheduled to take place before the end of this school year.

ISU Foundation President Dan Saftig announced his intention to retire this past March. In an interview with the Daily soon after the announcement, Marla Franklin, chairwoman of the ISU Foundation, echoed statements similar to those made when Hoffman announced her resignation.

“I think anytime you have a new head of an organization, especially a new president of a university, that person needs to create their own teams,” she said.

Currently, Hira will serve as interim president of the ISU Foundation. No search committee has been announced yet.