As of Friday, Mark Chidister will leave his position as the College of Design associate dean for academic programs to become the new assistant to incoming President Gregory Geoffroy for budget planning and analysis.

Chidister’s new duties are to assist the president in planning, coordinating, overseeing and monitoring budget duties, which includes writing monthly reports.

He said he will soon be dealing with plans that need to be made for next year, and his job will be to work with the individuals in the budget section in each area of the university.

Chidister met with Geoffroy during his interview process to become the new president.

“When we met, Dr. Geoffroy expressed his strong interest in advancing the academic excellence of the university and plans for addressing the budget cuts,” Chidister said. “It is my understanding that Dr. Geoffroy is interested in bringing together a group of faculty, staff and students to develop ideas and plans for dealing with the budget cuts.”

Roger Baer, assistant dean in the College of Design, has known Chidister for the 20 years Chidister has been at Iowa State.

“I have always respected [Chidister] as a teacher and leader because at the heart of his educational beliefs is that we are all here for the education of students,” Baer said.

He said he believed Chidister was the best candidate for the new position.

“He’s a good planner, good at understanding the budget – we’ve done very well here at the College [of Design] under his leadership,” Baer said.

Baer said Chidister has done a lot for students preparing for college at Iowa State.

Chidister has also been teaching a seminar in design and was an advisor in landscape architecture, where he advised graduate students.

“Mark developed the Design Exchange, and it has been a tremendous success for our students and their adjustment to the college thanks to his dedicated effort,” Baer said.

Baer said a replacement for Chidister’s position has already been selected. Kate Schwennsen, assistant professor of architecture, will begin the position Friday.