COD names new assistant dean of adjunct faculty support

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It's been a somewhat lengthy journey, but for Kirk Overstreet, new Assistant Dean of Adjunct Faculty Support at College of DuPage, says becoming a college administrator is exactly where he is meant to be.

Overstreet, of LaGrange, is the second of two new assistant deans hired to work with the College's more than 1,200 adjunct faculty members. In his new position, Overstreet and fellow Assistant Dean Mark Collins will work on adjunct faculty recruitment, orientation, professional development and evaluation.

"College of DuPage has a great full-time faculty group, but we also have more than 1,300 adjunct faculty members," he said. "Our goal is to reach out to these individuals and improve processes not only for them, but ultimately our students as well."

Overstreet attended COD while pursuing his bachelor's degree in History from North Central College. He earned his master's in History from Ball State University.

Prior to College of DuPage, Overstreet served as Associate Director of Human Resources in the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

In his new role at COD, Overstreet will assist the College's deans and associate deans in the overall administration and support of the adjunct faculty.

"It's exciting to have the opportunity to work with our adjunct faculty," he said. "We'll be streamlining processes, offering faculty development opportunities and working with the various academic divisions to determine how to identify candidates.

All of this ensures our students have access to the best instructors available in higher education. It's a huge undertaking, and one I'm incredibly enthusiastic about."