Listen Here
By Pulse Staff
Big changes are underway at the University of Findlay as the calendar inches towards the start of the Fall semester on Aug. 18.
UF President Katherine Fell announced in a July 21 email that Dr. Darin Fields will step down from his role as executive vice president of academic affairs, effective Aug. 1. Fields will stay at UF as a professor of English in the English, philosophy, and religious studies department in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. He will also work on university-wide initiatives assigned by the president, including academic program assessment.
Dr. Christine Denecker has been named interim vice president of academic affairs. Denecker started at the University in 2003 in the English Department and most recently served as associate vice president for learning and innovation and as Bluffton merger project leader.
“Her remarkable work ethic as well as her leadership experience at the local, regional, and national level will serve UF well,” Fell said in the email.
Denecker earned a B.A., English Communication from Bluffton College in 1989, a M.A. in English from Bowling Green State University in 1995, and a Ph.D. in English from Bowling Green State University in 2007.
Dr. Sarah Fedirka, associate professor and chair of the English, Religious Studies, and Philosophy department, will become senior lead for mission and identity and director of the Watterson Center for Ethical Leadership. Fedirka came to UF in 2011. She earned a B.A. in History and English from Allegheny College in 1992, a M.A. in English from Arizona State University in 1999, and a Ph.D. in English from Arizona State University in 2008.
Dr. Damon Osborne, the current associate vice president of academic affairs, will become the director of academic services. Osborne came to UF in 2016. He earned a B.M.E. in Music Education from Ashland University on 1991, a M.S.Ed., in Education from Walden University in 2004, and a Ph.D., in Specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University in 2008.
The newest building on campus will be getting a new name. The current Student Life and College of Business Building (CBSL) (opened in 2017) will be named the Billy and Brenda Watterson Center. In April 2022 the University announced a $6 million gift from the Wattersons toward a new campus building, the largest single donation in University history. The building was to house the Billy and Brenda Watterson Center for Ethical Leadership (WCEL); however, that money will no longer go towards a new building.
“With the Wattersons’ support, portions of their gift will also be redirected to move many current CAHSS faculty into improved offices throughout campus, to underwrite the WCEL director’s position, and to provide scholarships for students participating in the center’s programs,” according to Fell’s email. “This reimagined use of the Watterson gift reminds us that ethical leadership is taught and practiced throughout campus, not centered in one building.”
Another campus change: Vice President of Business Affairs Rob Sauritch resigned for a new position in Pennsylvania, after only eight months at UF. He began on Nov. 11, 2024 and will leave at the end of July. According to Fell’s email, “Until a search for the new VPBA is completed, Business Affairs will report to Heather Ward, vice president of human resources, and Rob’s responsibilities will be managed by Jennifer Ramey, associate vice president for accounting and university controller.” Ramey started at UF on May 5, 2025 as assistant vice president for accounting/controller and assistant treasurer. Ramey earned an M.B.A. from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 2010.
