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Hopi E. Hoekstra, dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, said in an interview Wednesday that he hopes to select two new deans for science and arts and humanities “in the coming months.”
In November, Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs and Dean of Arts and Humanities Robin E. Kelsey both announced that they would step down from their positions at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.
These two announcements put Hoekstra, then in his fourth month in office, in a position to appoint a new senior FAS leader and assert his direction on Harvard’s most influential faculty. Ta.
Her choice to be Arts and Humanities dean carries particular weight, as some faculty members have grown frustrated with the department’s controversial strategic planning process and distrusted Kelsey. Probability is high. The new dean will be tasked with implementing the recommendations of the planning process, which could include significant restructuring of the department.
Hoekstra declined to say how far along the search process is, but said he hopes the selection of a new dean and the term of the current dean will overlap “as much as possible.”
Since last semester, Hoekstra said he has solicited input from faculty in the two departments and conducted a faculty “listening tour.”
“We got really solid responses from faculty, sometimes five or six page letters, mostly in the arts and humanities,” Hoekstra said.
Professor Hoekstra reaffirmed FAS’s existing commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration across the three departments, adding that he is looking for a dean who will create new opportunities for such work.
“These two appointments are really an opportunity to think about how we rethink the departmental structure in the sense that there is a real sense that the department is siloed,” Hoekstra said.
“What I really want is deans who want to think about how to actually make these barriers more porous,” she added.
In addition to the dean’s survey, Hoekstra’s main priorities for the semester include encouraging civil discussion, exploring the use of AI to enhance the classroom experience, and promoting inclusivity and a sense of belonging to FAS. I emphasized this as a matter.
Hoekstra, a biologist in her first administrative role, has convened an informal cabinet of top faculty and administrators to advise her on “key topics.” While Stubbs will continue to consider issues related to artificial intelligence, FAS chief campus curator Brenda D. Tyndall and government professor Eric Beerbohm have been appointed as academic engagement and civil discussion advisors, respectively. It was done.
Hoekstra said Tyndall will focus on “enabling faculty, researchers and students to feel like they belong to the community and that they belong to the community.” .
Tyndall’s “first step is really about outreach,” Hoekstra said, adding that Tyndall is scheduled to meet with the Faculty Senate on Wednesday afternoon.
Hoekstra said his major projects as dean to date, including appointing advisors, launching a civil discussion initiative and committee on classroom conduct, and searching for a dean, have been directed by FAS’s Academic Department. He said that they were united by a concern for “the mission of the world.”
“All of these things really have a thread that pulls across FAS with the purpose of bringing our communities closer together,” she said.
—Staff writer Tilly R. Robinson can be reached at tilly.robinson@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Tilly Robin.
—Staff writer Neil H. Shah can be reached at neil.shah@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @neilhshah15.
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