To: The Wellesley Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson and Provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College Andy Shennan
Re: Appointment of New Dean of Faculty Affairs
Date: April 16, 2019

 

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Megan Núñez, professor of chemistry and Nan Walsh Schow ’54 and Howard B. Schow Professor in the Physical and Natural Sciences, as dean of faculty affairs, effective July 1, 2019.

Megan arrived at Wellesley in 2013, after holding a tenured appointment at Mount Holyoke College. Since then, she has established herself as one of the most respected and engaged leaders of this faculty. In just six years, she has chaired the Budget Advisory Committee, served on the Curriculum and Academic Policy and the Reaccreditation Steering committees, and directed our biochemistry program and our Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence Program. She is currently chair of the chemistry department.

Megan’s professional career has exemplified the Wellesley faculty’s high standards of scholarship and undergraduate teaching. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Smith College, and she received her doctorate from the California Institute of Technology. She has held a Clare Boothe Luce assistant professorship and a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Her research on DNA damage and on bacterial biophysics has resulted in a prolific publication record (much of it involving student co-authors) and extensive grant support from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Throughout her career, she has been an inspiring, exacting, and generous instructor, with a passion for engaging undergraduate women in scientific study and for creating a fully inclusive academic community.

The colleagues who recommended Megan to us for this position praised her capacity to think beyond the boundaries of her department and the Science Center and to act in the interest of the faculty and the College as a whole. They noted her approachability and her demonstrated interest in helping faculty members balance teaching, research, and service and in enhancing the overall quality of community on our campus. They also recognized her deep commitment to the mission of a women’s college and the goals of inclusive excellence. We share their confidence that Megan will be an outstanding advocate and leader for the faculty and will contribute fresh and important perspectives to Senior Leadership.

We are very grateful to Megan for agreeing to take on these leadership responsibilities. We are also grateful to the many faculty members who communicated to us about this position and shared their thoughts about the future needs and priorities of the College. One point of consensus in all our conversations was the necessity of strong faculty leadership as we prepare to embark on a new phase of strategic planning.