Cassidy to Become Chief Academic Officer

Associate Professor of Psychology Kimberly Wright Cassidy has been appointed provost-elect of the College, President Nancy J. Vickers has announced. Cassidy, who is currently serving as chair of the Department of Psychology and convener of the College's Committee on Academic Priorities, will serve out the reminder of the semester in those offices and assume the duties of provost-elect on July 1. She will become acting provost in January 2008 and provost in June 2008, succeeding Ralph Kuncl, who took on the job in June 2002.

"I am excited about the challenge of being a provost at an institution of Bryn Mawr's academic excellence, and I feel fortunate to be able to work with such a talented and dedicated group of colleagues," Cassidy said after the appointment was announced.

Cassidy has served on the Bryn Mawr faculty since 1993, the year she earned her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a B.A. in psychology from Swarthmore College. As a developmental psychologist specializing in cognition, she has won research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others. Her recent research has focused on how young children understand the mental processes and emotions of others and how the gender coding of names activates gender stereotyping.

A record of "excellence and service to the community" earned Cassidy a Mary Patterson McPherson Award in 2006. In addition to her current role leading the Committee on Academic Priorities, she has served on the Committee to Revise the Faculty By-Laws, the President's Advisory Committee for Work-Family Balance, the Praxis Council Steering Committee, the Teacher Education Committee and the Graduate Council, among other roles.

Cassidy, who played basketball for Swarthmore as an undergraduate, has also been an important faculty supporter of Bryn Mawr's athletic programs. She has served as the NCAA faculty representative and as an adviser to the basketball team, as well as contributing workshops and seminars designed to develop team unity and leadership skills among Bryn Mawr athletes. She is a familiar figure off the court as well, having participated actively in wellness seminars, discussions of diversity and multiculturalism, and orientation activities for entering students.

The provost is the College's chief academic officer, responsible for administering the College's academic programs. According to the plan of governance adopted by the College's Board of Trustees in May 2005, the provost "is responsible for the quality and support of the College's academic programs and the development and welfare of its Faculty. The Provost, to the extent authorized by the President, administers the College's instructional budget and reviews the performance of the Deans of the GSAS and the GSSWSR. The Provost reports to the President, and will assume executive authority if the President is absent or unable to act."

Cassidy was selected by the president from a slate of candidates recommended by a committee of faculty members who are elected by the general faculty according to a procedure prescribed by the faculty's by-laws. She is the first provost to be appointed under the new by-laws and plan of governance.

<Back to Bryn Mawr Now 2/9/2007

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