Announcing the Next Dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Dear Emory College Community, 

 It is with great excitement that we announce the next dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Barbara Krauthamer. A nationally regarded historian, Barbara has served since 2020 as dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She will begin her new role at Emory on July 1, 2023.

In a competitive pool of nearly 100 candidates, Barbara quickly rose to the fore thanks to her extensive leadership experience, scholarly achievements, deep commitment to academic excellence, positive, can-do attitude and strong track record of building healthy, operationally and financially sound organizations. Moreover, as she told us during the search, Emory’s robust liberal arts model and dedication to knowledge in the service of humanity resonate strongly with her own values—Barbara believes the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences are critical avenues through which we can deepen human connections and contribute to the greater good in an increasingly complex world.

Emory College is an exciting and welcome home for Barbara especially at this moment when we are embarking on ambitious goals together as One Emory. With so many exciting possibilities within our grasp, Barbara’s broad experience in cultivating a vibrant academic community and her incredible energy will help us advance our vision for a more eminent and creative Emory dedicated to the success of our faculty, staff and students.

A dynamic and seasoned leader, Barbara served from 2017-2020 as dean of the UMass Amherst Graduate School, while holding a concurrent position as senior vice provost for interdisciplinary programs and innovations (2019-2020). During her time at UMass, she has advanced a compelling vision for a liberal arts education that promotes innovation at the intersection of the humanities, sciences and technology; supported research opportunities for faculty and students across the disciplines; and led data-driven strategic planning initiatives to build upon academic strengths and identify growth opportunities.  

Barbara is also passionate about creating intellectual communities and conditions that help faculty, staff and students do their best work. For example, she launched a mentoring program that paired junior faculty with their fields’ leading scholars to foster networking and research opportunities, and identified new opportunities for staff professional development and recognition. She reinvigorated a signature seminar that has improved academic outcomes and satisfaction for first-generation and underrepresented students, and worked to ensure that students could access co-curricular opportunities such as study abroad and internships regardless of financial need. She has also proactively engaged the broader UMass alumni and regional communities. 

Barbara graduated with a PhD in history from Princeton University, an MA from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BA from Dartmouth College. As a historian, her scholarly work has focused on slavery and emancipation in the 19th-century South. She is the author of multiple books, including Black Slaves, Indian Masters: Slavery, Emancipation and Citizenship in the Native American South and Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery, for which she and co-author Deborah Willis received the 2013 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Nonfiction.

As we prepare for this leadership transition, I would like to recognize and thank Carla S. Freeman, an Emory College stalwart who has served as interim dean since last summer and will soon take on a new role as director of the Bill and Carol Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry. Carla’s energetic leadership and passion for community engagement and strong liberal arts education have strategically positioned Emory College to continue its strong upward trajectory into the future.

I also want to acknowledge the abundant care with which the Search Advisory Committee approached its task, working closely with co-chair John Lysaker and me. John and I are deeply impressed by the committee’s dedication to Emory College and are proud to have shared in its effort to recruit a dean who evinces Emory’s values and represents our shared commitment to knowledge in service to humanity.

Please join President Gregory L. Fenves and me in welcoming Barbara to the Emory community on Friday, April 28. You are invited to a Community Gathering of university leadership and Emory College students, faculty and staff from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in the Emory Student Center’s Multipurpose Rooms. Boxed lunches will be provided. RSVP at this link.

I hope to see you there, and in the meantime encourage you to check today’s Emory Report to hear more from Barbara as she looks forward to leading our outstanding Emory College in the years to come.

Ravi V. Bellamkonda
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs