Wheaton names Seton Hall dean as new provost
April 25, 2006
Wheaton College has named Molly Easo Smith, a scholar of English literature and currently a dean at Seton Hall University, as provost of the private liberal arts college. She will assume her duties on July 1, 2006.
In announcing Smith's appointment to the Wheaton community, President Ronald Crutcher said, ''I'm so pleased to be welcoming Molly Easo Smith to the Wheaton community. She shares the college's commitment to the importance of liberal arts education and the faculty's dedication to excellence in teaching and research.''
Currently dean of arts and sciences at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., Smith has led the university's College of Arts and Sciences since 2002. While serving as dean, she led several initiatives that promoted faculty engagement and enhanced student learning. Among those changes were standardizing teaching responsibilities among the college's professors and increasing support for travel to conferences. She also supported the development of several interdisciplinary programs, established the university's academic resource center, and coordinated faculty efforts for renovation of the institution's science center.
''I am extremely honored to have this opportunity,'' said Smith. ''Wheaton is an outstanding liberal arts college with an innovative curriculum, a dedicated community of teacher scholars, and a visible commitment to student-centered learning. I look forward to working with faculty and with President Crutcher to help the college realize its goals, aspirations, and dreams for the future.''
Professor of Sociology Hyun Sook Kim, who co-chaired the Provost Search Committee with Professor of Chemistry Elita Pastra-Landis, said, ''From a strong pool of candidates for the position, Molly Easo Smith's passionate commitment to a 21st century liberal arts education and extensive administrative experience won enthusiastic support for her in the committee. We have high confidence in her ability to lead the college in maintaining and enhancing academic programs.''
Prior to Seton Hall, Smith was a professor of English at Stephen F. Austin University, where she also served as chair of the department of English. She held faculty and administrative posts at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland from 1995 to 2000. Smith's experience in higher education administration also includes a four-year term at St. Louis University, where she directed the University Honors Program as well as taught undergraduate and graduate students. She held her first faculty position at Ithaca College.
A scholar whose work focuses on Shakespeare and English Renaissance literature, Smith has written two books on the Bard and his contemporaries: Breaking Boundaries: Politics and Play in the Drama of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries (Ashgate Publishing, 1998) and The Darker World Within: Evil in the Tragedies of Shakespeare and his Successors (University of Delaware Press, 1991). She has also authored articles on Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Smith has received support for her work and scholarship through grants from various organizations, including the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Edinburgh, the John Rylands Institute in Manchester, and the American Council of Learned Societies. She earned her undergraduate degree and initial graduate degree in English from the University of Madras in India. She also studied at the University of Delaware as a graduate student before earning her Ph.D. in English from Auburn University.
The announcement of Smith's appointment closed a six-month search that began when Provost Susanne Woods announced her retirement after serving seven years in the post. Her retirement will take effect on June 30, 2006.
In the collegewide announcement of Smith's appointment, President Crutcher extended special thanks to Provost Search Committee members Matthew Allen, associate professor of music; Jani Benoit, assistant professor of chemistry; Dolita Cathcart, assistant professor of history; Professor Kim; John Partridge, assistant professor of philosophy; Professor Pastra-Landis; and Patricia Santilli, registrar and dean for academic systems.
This page is maintained by Mike Graca. Last updated on 7/14/06.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.