After 16 years at Oakland University, Bill Keane, Ed.D. is enjoying a well-deserved retirement. This June, Dr. Keane stepped down as interim dean of Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services (SEHS), a position he assumed in 2008 while the school searched for a permanent leader. 
“The expectation was that it would be a one-year-assignment, “ Dr. Keane recalled. “The school would find a replacement by the end of that year, and I would no longer be dean.”
However, when the search for a new dean was extended to a second year, Dr. Keane was asked to continue leading the school. The decision wasn’t very difficult, he said.
“I found a lot of gratification in the job and my colleagues were wonderfully supportive,” Dr. Keane said. “Also, I didn’t want the school to experience another interim transition, and so agreed to stay on.”
While serving as interim dean, Dr. Keane worked to advance the school in a positive direction. His activities included working with the Dean’s Council and provost on budgeting reforms that would allow the university’s deans to run their respective schools more effectively.
He also initiated improvements that increased the sense of community in the school, and developed a strategic plan to allow for a smooth transition for his successor.
“I tried to keep the organization moving forward without causing too much turmoil for the person who would replace me, “ Dr. Keane said.
This past summer, when Louis Gallien Jr., Ed.D. was named the new dean of the SEHS, Dr. Keane helped him get acclimated to new surroundings through frequent e-mails and telephone calls, as well as several visits.
“We had a good working relationship,” Dr. Keane said. “I tried to provide him with information on some of the issues we were considering. He’s a kind and intelligent leader, and I think he’ll do a great job.”
