Complex sentence: Following Rector's death in August 2007, Sven Birkerts took over as acting director of the Writing Seminars and was subsequently named director in January 2008, following a nationwide search for Rector's successor.
Split into simpler sentences: Following Rector's death in August 2007, Sven Birkerts took over as acting director of the Writing Seminars. He was subsequently named director in January 2008, following a nationwide search for Rector's successor.