An ISU professor will serve as both a department chairman and an associate dean to help alleviate a tight university budget.

Jerry Thomas, professor and chairman of the department of health and human performance, has agreed to serve as interim associate dean for the College of Education until a permanent associate dean can be found. Thomas took over the position in early September.

Thomas said his dual role as department chairman and associate dean has been created to help the university through a period marked by difficult monetary issues.

“Part of the problem right now is budgets,” Thomas said. “[Dean of the College of Education Walter Gmelch] is trying to reduce all possible costs so that we can put [money] into instruction and support for students.”

Despite the budget cuts to the college, one of Thomas’ main goals as associate dean is to promote research within the College of Education. One way to do this in particular is with grants and foundations, he said.

The college is also working on obtaining full-time doctoral students who will be going into jobs in colleges and universities.

Thomas will also work with the Research Institute for Studies in Education to improve services to graduate students.

The position will be slightly altered because of his department chairman position, Thomas said.

“The division of responsibility is different than it has been in the past,” he said.

The associate dean prior to Thomas, Jackie Blount, also oversaw the teacher education program, he said. Thomas will not oversee that program.

Iowa State is not the first place Thomas has served in either of these positions.

He served as associate dean and performed department chairman responsibilities at Arizona State University, where he was a professor of exercise science and physical education for 11 years.

“I’ve done this before, so I have some pretty good ideas about how things will work here,” Thomas said.

He served as associate dean of Arizona State’s Graduate College from 1992 to 1995.

Thomas was hired at Iowa State in 1998.

When the department chair position became available, Thomas said he was asked to apply.

His wife, Katherine Thomas, also found a position with the college as an associate professor of health and human performance.

“It’s hard if you’re an academic couple to move and find positions that you both want to do,” he said.