New SES Dean Prepares for New Role

The university announced Malini Suchak will serve as the next dean of the School of Environmental Sustainability, with her tenure set to officially begin July 1. 

Suchak is currently the chair of the Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation Department at Canisius College — a Jesuit institution in Buffalo, N.Y. After resigning from her role in May, she will replace SES Founding Dean Nancy Tuchman, who will step down from her role June 30, The Phoenix reported.

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Peter Schraeder was the head of the search committee assembled to select the new SES dean, which was first announced Oct. 9. Tuchman wasn’t involved in the search process. 

Schraeder didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Tuchman said the search committee narrowed the field to four candidates in January, all of whom were invited on campus for interviews.

Tuchman said she answered candidates’ questions about Loyola and the SES and delivered a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the evolution and growth of the SES during the past five years.

Suchak said Tuchman’s presentation gave her a thorough understanding of the five focus areas of research within SES — Biodiversity, Environment and Society, Environmental Health and Toxicology, Sustainable Food Systems and Climate and Energy — and the organization of faculty research teams within these areas. 

“Commitment to the environment is very important to students today,” Suchak said. “So bringing that full circle and situating the work of SES into the broader campus commitment to sustainability, which is really an expression of mission, and bringing all of those pieces together, was something that I really enjoyed about that conversation.”

In addition to Loyola’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and recent achievement of carbon neutrality, Suchak said she was attracted by the interdisciplinary approach the university has to environmental science education, with faculty from a variety of fields considering environmental issues through the different lenses of their respective departments. 

Suchak said the department she oversees at Canisius College also contains faculty across a wide range of specialties, including biology and the humanities. She said learning about similar interdisciplinary efforts within the SES further motivated her to assume her upcoming role.

“As a student, you get such a different preparation because you’re exposed to so many different ideas on this one topic,” Suchak said. “That was also a huge point of resonance for me with [Loyola].”

Tuchman said she hopes Suchak prioritizes continued growth in student enrollment and co- curricular programs. She said the SES currently has a master’s program, but lacks the faculty needed to start a doctorate program. She hopes Suchak initiates efforts to recruit additional faculty for such a program.

Suchak said she was aware of conversation about implementing a doctorate program before she visited campus, but she plans to gain understanding of the SES’s existing curriculum before committing to the effort.

According to Suchak, her main goal as incoming dean is to establish a unanimous “shared vision” among SES staff, faculty and students concerning how the school ought to evolve and grow after Tuchman laid its foundations. 

“The legacy of Dean Tuchman in that work and her vision for it is just so strong,” Suchak said. “I think of myself a little bit as a steward of her legacy in many ways, and thinking about how to carry that forward.”

Ariel Rose, a first-year environmental policy major, said she hopes the SES incorporates sustainable development of city infrastructure into its curriculum.

“I think we should add a class for urban planning or urban development because I know there’s a lot of people interested in it,” Rose said. “But we just don’t really have any classes that are sustainably tailored to that.”

First-year environmental science major Emanuel Johnson said he is one of many SES students who volunteers with Loyola’s chapter of Food Recovery Network.

Johnson said he admires the SES’ existing partnerships with groups such as FRN and A Just Harvest, but he believes SES should extend its affiliations to include additional social justice organizations.

Suchak said she heard similar opinions from students she met while on campus during the interview process.

“I look forward to partnering with students once I arrive to chart the course for SES moving forward,” Suchak wrote in an email to The Phoenix. 

Tuchman and Suchak both said they believe Suchak’s previous experience as department chair will help her succeed in the role.

“There’s certainly a lot of responsibilities that a dean has that a department chair does not have,” Tuchman said. “But I do believe that having been a department chair for several years is a big advantage to her candidacy because it gives her some pretty good administrative training that she’ll be able to bring into her role as dean.”

Suchak said this work included leading efforts to expand academic programs and revise the curriculum, which allowed the department to grow by 30% in the past three years. Suchak said this experience developed her ability to attract students, which she can use to increase SES enrollment. 

Suchak said another aspect of her previous experience which will translate into her new role is her enthusiasm for supporting faculty’s work and research interests. She said she frequently works with faculty to revise their schedules and responsibilities to provide adequate time for pursuing projects of interest. 

“I like being in the role where I can help think about ‘What do people need’ and ‘How do I help them get there,’” Suchak said. “I see that as a major part of the dean role.”

Suchak and Tuchman both said they view Suchak’s affiliation with the Jesuit principle of environmental stewardship as one of her greatest strengths.

Specifically, Suchak said she believes the Jesuit philosophy shifts the focus of sustainability away from a solely technological pursuit and connects its scientific aspects to the importance of human insight and moral deliberation. 

“We can teach students about the environment, we can teach them about animals, but I also want them to think critically about our relationships with the environment, our relationships with animals,” Suchak said. “I want our students to understand different ethical models. I want them to think about justice and integrate justice into their work. It changes the conversation. I think that’s a really critical piece, and that’s what makes the education so special.”