Nancy Marion, former chair of the economics department and economics professor, has been appointed associate dean of the faculty for the social sciences, Dean of Faculty Michael Mastanduno announced in an e-mail on Monday. Marion, who will begin her new role on Sept. 1, fills the position vacated by Mastanduno in July when he was selected to serve as Dean of Faculty.
As associate dean of the faculty for the social sciences, Marion said her primary objective will be "promoting the excellence of the faculty both in scholarship and teaching."
"Dartmouth as a very unique niche in that our faculty are scholar-teachers,'" Marion said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "You have faculty teaching students who are also [involved in] scholarship on the cutting edge of their fields, and are able to bring that knowledge into the classroom."
Marion added that because the "strength of the institution is the strength of its people," her goal to maintain a high-quality faculty is essential to the College as a whole.
Economics professor Bruce Sacerdote, who was hired during Marion's tenure as chair of the economics department, praised Marion's ability to recruit faculty to the College.
"[Marion] did a wonderful job recruiting a whole bunch of faculty and attracting us to Dartmouth, and also finding a good mix economics is always hard-pressed for quality teachers and researchers," Sacerdote said.
Marion said she will also help to ensure that the faculty's voice is heard on key issues facing Dartmouth, especially during the College's ongoing strategic planning process.
"It's important that information be shared with faculty," Marion said. "But in addition, [it's important] that we have two-way communication and faculty feel they have a voice in facing and grappling [with] issues."
Marion said she hopes to strengthen Dartmouth's international studies programs, though she currently has not fully developed a plan to achieve that.
"We do [international study] well, but the idea is that we can always do it even better," Marion said. "The hope is to make it even more excellent."
As an undergraduate professor, Marion teaches several classes in international economics, which she said inspired her to enhance the College's international studies programs.
Marion is a "widely recognized" researcher in international economics, according to Alan Gustman, chair of the economics department. Marion has worked for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund both as a lecturer and as a consultant.
In addition to her role as economics department chair, Marion has served on the Committee on Priorities as well as the Committee Advisory to the President, which makes recommendations on tenure and faculty promotion decisions. During Spring term, Marion also chaired the search committee for Provost that submitted recommendations for Folt and two other candidates to College President Jim Yong Kim. Former Dean of the College Carol Folt was selected to serve as Provost in May, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Mastanduno, who worked with Marion on the Committee Advisory to the President, said that she will be a competent administrator because of her high standards and impressive faculty recruitment skills. As current dean of the faculty, Mastanduno made the final decision to hire Marion as the new associate dean for the social sciences.
"You can always count on [Marion] to ask the most important, pressing questions and get right to the core of the key issues," Mastanduno said.
He added that Marion is always "critical and fair," as she pays careful attention to the most important issues that administrators face.
Before her appointment, several faculty members within the social science departments nominated Marion for the associate dean position, according to Marion.
"[Marion] really knows the institution," Sacerdote, who is a member of the Class of 1990, said. "She's been around since I was an undergraduate, she's a great researcher and a great teacher, so you really can't do better."
As associate dean for the social sciences, Marion will continue to teach "at least one course per year," she said. Although reducing her teaching responsibilities will limit her direct interaction with students, Marion said she hopes to maintain contact with students.
Katharine Conley, associate dean for the arts and humanities, said she is "optimistic" about working with Marion in the dean of the faculty's office based on Marion's past experience collaborating with divisions outside the social sciences. She cited an instance in which Marion served as one of two thesis advisors for a student majoring in comparative literature, despite Marion's background in economics.
"I think it's very unusual for a social sciences professor to collaborate on a comparative literature thesis, and it shows an openness to collaboration with the arts and humanities division that is very promising about how we can collaborate across departments in the future," Conley said.
