Kathryn Lively has been named dean of the College, provost Joseph Helble wrote in an email to the College. She will begin the position on July 1.
Lively has served as interim dean since July 2018, replacing former dean Rebecca Biron, who announced she would return to full-time research and teaching at the College in March 2018. Lively has also served as a professor of sociology and the first house professor of the South House residential community.
The dean of the College is the school’s senior-most officer overseeing undergraduate academic life, in charge of the Student Affairs division as well as the six house communities. In this role, Lively will also serve on the leadership teams of both the president and the provost. According to the email from Helble, she will help to promote the integration of academic life into the larger Dartmouth experience, provide advice on student inclusivity and diversity and be involved in strategic planning.
In the campus-wide email, Lively is quoted as saying that she sees her role as "an important opportunity to help create a campus culture that will facilitate the development of humans.” She added that “Student affairs is about helping students develop healthy habits, friendships, and leadership capacities — all of which feeds into their success in the classroom, and, more importantly, their success as they enter the world.”
She highlighted her intention to strengthen house communities, working on “a sort of ‘house communities 2.0’” in the following years, as well as expanding programming for first-generation and low-income students. Recent initiatives will "continue to develop the already amazing leadership programs." She noted that the coming academic year will mark the first year all students on campus will have entered Dartmouth as house community members.
As a professor and a researcher, Lively has focused on the interaction between culture, identity and emotion. Her research focuses on emotion management and identity transformations. Lively earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University before joining the Dartmouth faculty in 2002.
A search committee made recommendations to Helble regarding the selection of the new dean. Associate dean of the faculty for interdisciplinary programs Dennis Washburn chaired the committee. Other members included mathematics professor Carolyn Gordon, chief of staff in the Office of the President and secretary to the board of trustees Laura Hercod director of financial aid Dino Koff; philosophy professor Timothy Rosenkoetter, student assembly president Monik Walters '19, sociology professor Emily Walton and engineering professor Douglas Van Citters '99 Th '03, '06.
