The College of Arts and Sciences will face two losses in the upcoming academic year: the loss of its dean of five and a half years and the loss of the math department.The College of Basic Sciences will absorb the math department at the end of the 2008-09 academic year, following a vote by the faculty of the department.Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Basic Sciences, said math being bundled with sciences is not abnormal, and the two colleges will work together to ensure the change will be “revenue neutral” — the goal being for students not to notice any funding changes.”We’ll be having discussions with the folks in budget and planning in the next few weeks … so that the integrity of the programs are preserved,” Carman said. Administrators within Basic Sciences agreed with the math department faculty that the transfer was a “good move” for the department, Carman said.”It’s common for colleges of science in major research universities,” Carman said. “I’m very confident that we’ll have a positive outcome. Math is an outstanding program.”In a broadcast e-mail from Guillermo Ferreyra to the Arts and Sciences faculty, Ferreyra said he will be stepping down from his position as dean to work as a math professor sometime during the summer. Ferreyra declined to comment to The Daily Reveille about the reason for the switch.”After five and a half years of serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, I will be returning to my position of mathematics to carry out research, teaching, service and outreach,” Ferreyra said in the e-mail. “I thank the faculty, the staff and the students of the College for allowing me to lead the College and for contributing to excellence with everything they have done.”Stacia Haynie, vice provost for Academic Affairs, said in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille in the search for a new dean, an interim dean is typically appointed while a national search is conducted.While the actual grouping of math departments varies at universities throughout the country, Haynie said it’s not unusual for the math department to be grouped with departments such as chemistry, biology and physics. “Organizational structure should be driven by what works most efficiently and effectively for a particular university,” Haynie said. “It should not be set in stone and should be assessed and altered as necessary.”——Contact Lindsey Meaux at [email protected]