91¶ÌÊÓƵ

Dr. Julie Baldwin, Interim Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, will conclude her service at the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ on June 2 to assume the role of Dean of the College of the Sciences at Central Washington University.

Dr. Baldwin has been a member of the UM community since 2005, beginning as an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences. Over the past two decades, she has held a range of academic and administrative leadership roles, including associate dean and interim dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. 

As interim dean, she has overseen strategic enrollment planning, budget management, and the advancement of student success initiatives. Her leadership helped launch a centralized academic advising center, a new B.A. in Multidisciplinary Studies, and a Career Planning Center supporting liberal arts majors. She also co-led a $2.5 million HHMI Driving Change grant to improve outcomes for Indigenous students in STEM and promote inclusive teaching practices.

Dr. Baldwin is also a nationally recognized geoscientist with expertise in tectonics, petrology, and geochronology. She has received multiple honors, including selection as a Mineralogical Society of America Distinguished Lecturer and the Helen and Winston Cox Educational Excellence Award. 

, she will lead a college comprising 13 departments and nine interdisciplinary programs, serving over 2,300 students and 200 faculty and staff. 

The 91¶ÌÊÓƵ thanks Dr. Baldwin for her service and contributions to our academic community and wishes her continued success in this new role.

Dr. Matthew Semanoff, who has also served as Interim Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences since 2021, will conclude his term at the end of this academic year.

Dr. Semanoff joined the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Classics Program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures (World Languages and Cultures) in 2004 after completing a two-year Mellon post-doctoral fellowship at his alma mater Carleton College.  “Almost immediately after joining the faculty,” Dr. Semanoff reflected, “I realized that I could make significantly stronger contributions to the University by getting outside my department and serving on University committees and Faculty Senate.” He served as Chair of Faculty Senate in 2018-2019 and Co-Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures (2019-2020) before being hired as Associate Dean of the College of Humanities & Sciences under Dean Larry Hufford in 2020-2021.

 “These past several years have been challenging, but it has been one of the greatest privileges of my career to elevate the tremendous work that my faculty colleagues tirelessly perform,” Dr Semanoff said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned how our faculty and departments support UM's mission. I look forward to watching the transformation of the College of Humanities and Sciences currently underway.” 

We thank Dr. Semanoff for his thoughtful leadership during a dynamic and transformative period for the College of Humanities and Sciences.  We appreciate his integrity, collegiality, and steadfast support of students, staff, and faculty.

Dr. Laut is UMPT's newest Physical Therapist and On-Site Clinical Preceptor. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the Mayo School of Health Sciences and her B.S. in Psychology from Michigan State University.

Dr. Laut brings a unique blend of clinical expertise in neurologic physical therapy and a deep passion for mentoring the next generation of PTs. She looks forward to thriving in an environment of collaboration and continuous learning, working alongside students and colleagues to deliver the best care and education possible.