From Trojan to Tiger, LSU’s new dean of the College of Human Sciences and Education is no novice to the administrative scene.
With the retiring of former dean Laura Lindsay, the University hired Damon Andrew, who spent five years at Troy University as chief administrative officer of the teaching, scholarly and service programs of the College of Health and Human Services, to run the show.
While the transition from Troy to a goliath campus like LSU is significant, Andrew said he is working on the little things to make the changeover go smoothly.
“The biggest difference is that I’m spending a lot of time this first year getting to know all the faculty and staff within the college and also a lot of the donors and external constituents with the University,” he said.
The new dean said he hopes to keep things running smoothly for the College of Human Sciences and Education.
The college is fairly new, having celebrated its first birthday July 1. The program tends to focus on several issues in society, including obesity and retention in schools, and it looks at them from multiple perspectives to help find the best solutions to these problems.
Andrew said he intends to spend the majority of his first year as dean both speaking with and listening to faculty and staff of the college as he looks to integrate the separate units of the college.
“I’ll be spending a lot of time focusing on ways we can reach out and partner with others to create something better than what we could have done individually,” he said.
Andrew, who began his duties July 1, is no stranger to college campuses.
Born and raised in Pensacola, Fla., Andrew played on the Jefferson Davis Community College tennis team during his sophomore year, and he later returned to the University of South Alabama to finish his bachelor’s degree and first master’s degree.
He proceeded to go to the University of Florida, where he completed two more master’s degrees in biomechanics and sport management and finally finished at Florida State University, where he received a Ph.D. in sports administration.
Andrew was a professor from 2004-2006 at the University of Louisville, until he was recruited by the University of Tennessee to create a doctoral program in sport management.
But when Troy contacted him with a potential dean’s position, the direction his career would take changed.
“I had never really given much thought to moving into administration other than just directing doctoral programs,” Andrew said. “I think it was a really good fit between what my skill set was and what I had developed and what they needed me to do.”
Andrew said one key difference between Troy and LSU is the passion of the people in the area.
“I’ve been so impressed by the passion of individuals not only in Baton Rouge, but around the entire state and beyond, who are passionate about this University and want to see it achieve its full potential,” Andrew said. “That element will be different for me, but different in a good way.”