To: Wellesley Faculty and Staff
From: President Paula A. Johnson and Provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College Andy Shennan
Re: Upcoming Transition in the Provost’s Office
Date: September 30, 2019
For the past 30 years, the College has drawn our academic deans from the ranks of our own faculty. Even as different colleagues have held these positions over the years, this practice has contributed to a consistently collaborative partnership between the faculty and senior administration, and provided continuity in the oversight of the academic program and the leadership of the faculty. We firmly believe that this tradition has served the College well, and that it should continue in the years ahead.
In order to realize the full benefits of partnership and continuity, it is essential to plan thoughtfully for periodic transitions in the staffing of the Provost’s Office, and, in particular, to provide opportunities for new members of the faculty to gain experience as deans, as experienced deans return to the faculty. In that context, we are writing now to let you know that our colleague Ann Velenchik will complete her service in the Provost’s Office at the end of the current academic year. Ann will take a long-delayed sabbatical and then return to her faculty appointment in spring 2021.
As we all know, there is much to appreciate and celebrate in Ann’s extraordinary record as a dean. We look forward to having many occasions later in the year to acknowledge her accomplishments and express our deep gratitude for her service. For now, she—and we—would like the focus to be on the vital work that she continues to do as dean of academic affairs, chair of CCAP, and executive sponsor of the Science Hill renovation project. Our purpose in making this announcement now, so relatively early in the year, is to enable us to identify Ann’s successor in time for the provost and deans to ensure a smooth transition by the end of the spring.
In closing, we thank Ann for her outstanding contributions in the Provost’s Office, and we invite faculty members who would be interested in succeeding her to contact us by November 1st.
