UMass provost Katherine Newman to take on new position

AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s provost and senior vice chancellor is stepping down from her position to transition to the role of senior vice president for academic affairs, student affairs and international relations in the office of the university’s president.

Katherine Newman, who has been in her role as the university’s chief academic officer since 2014, made the announcement in a letter on Monday. Her appointment to the new role will be fully effective on Jan. 1, 2018, but she will be working to “learn the ropes” with Marcellette Williams, who currently holds the role, in the interim.

“For me, this is an opportunity to contribute from a different vantage point and I look forward, very much, to working with President Meehan, our colleagues in the system office, and the Board of Trustees, to continue the remarkable ascent of the University of Massachusetts as a whole,” Newman said in the letter.

Newman is a renowned sociologist and administrator who was previously the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins. Prior to her time at Johns Hopkins, she was director of the Institute for International and Regional Studies and a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University. She received a doctorate in anthropology from the University of California Berkeley.

“I will be spending the next few weeks focusing on my research projects,” she said in the letter. “Once the Chancellor names an Interim, I will ensure a seamless transition to the provost’s operations.”

Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.

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