Katherine Bergeron, professor of music and chair of the department, has been selected as the University's next dean of the College. Bergeron, who will take her new post on July 1, replaces Paul Armstrong, who has served as dean of the College since 2001 and is stepping down to return to full-time teaching and research as a professor of English.
"Katherine Bergeron is going to be a dynamic dean of the College - someone who will really excite students and faculty about the direction of the undergrad program," said David Kertzer '69 P'95 P'98, who will become provost July 1. Kertzer is a professor of anthropology and currently chairs that department.
Bergeron's appointment comes during a critical period for the University. She and Kertzer will both join the senior academic administration this summer and will oversee a thorough review of the undergraduate College. In February, President Ruth Simmons made a careful examination of the College a high priority for administrators.
"It is the president's intention and my intention for us to do a very thorough review of the undergraduate College. In this, the new dean of the College will play a central role," Kertzer said. "The new dean of the College will have a lot on her plate."
Bergeron told The Herald, "It's a very exciting time precisely because Kertzer has made it quite clear that undergraduate education is a top priority of his new administration."
It's not yet clear what form the review of the College will take, but Kertzer said it will likely include the creation of a few committees and involve extensive student input.
Undergraduate advising will be a key area of focus, Bergeron said. "I'm very interested in thinking about advising ... by thinking about how the dean of the College's office could re-articulate some of the core values of the open curriculum," she said.
Bergeron said she intends to gather as many perspectives on advising as possible and think carefully about the role advising plays in Brown's unique curriculum. "The question of advising can't be separated from the question of the curriculum itself," she said.
Bergeron said she hopes to implement novel and creative programs. "The environment in the coming years is going to welcome pilot projects, so we might as well experiment," she said. For example, Bergeron said she has had a "pie in the sky" dream for interdisciplinary senior seminars that would give students a unique experience outside of their concentration before they graduate.
Kertzer said Bergeron is an ideal dean because she is familiar with both dedicated undergraduate colleges and larger research universities. "She is someone who has a rich diversity of experience in terms of the kinds of universities she's been in," he said.
Bergeron attended Wesleyan University as an undergraduate and has held faculty positions at the University of North Carolina, Tufts University and the University of California, Berkeley. She came to Brown from UC Berkeley in 2004.
