Provost Lisa Lynch

Jan. 21, 2020

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

With deepest appreciation for more than a decade of extraordinary contributions to Brandeis, I am writing to let you know that Provost Lisa Lynch has decided to step down from her position as provost and executive vice president of academic affairs this summer. She will take a well-deserved sabbatical leave, resuming her position as an internationally recognized scholar of labor economics. Following her leave, she will return to Brandeis as the Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. The process for selecting Lisa's replacement will be announced soon.

Lisa has made numerous significant and transformative contributions to Brandeis as dean of the Heller School, as interim president, and as provost and executive vice president, but I will highlight only a subset of those contributions.

In all of her leadership positions, Lisa has been guided by a strong sense of fairness and by what's best for the university. She has been a champion of innovation to improve the teaching, learning, and working environment on campus. She introduced policies and structures to advance the university's diversity efforts, and to support students and faculty from underrepresented groups. Lisa oversaw the hiring of new deans in our professional schools and in the School of Arts and Sciences, the new vice provost of student affairs, the university librarian, and new directors in the Rose Art Museum, the Department of Athletics, and the Center for Teaching and Learning — a major contribution to the future success of the university. Lisa also led the university's successful decennial reaccreditation process and bolstered the university's standing as a Research 1 university by increasing research funding opportunities for faculty. And she played a pivotal role in the work of the four task forces that have given shape and substance to the university's Framework for the Future.

On a personal level, Lisa has been a superb colleague within my senior leadership team, and a valued adviser to me since Day 1 of my presidency; I am so grateful for her collegiality and selflessness. I will miss her smarts, her deep commitment to the university, and her sense of humor. Her love of Brandeis is apparent to all who have worked with her, and it is telling that, among her greatest points of pride, is that of being the parent of a Brandeis graduate.

We will have a chance to thank Lisa for all she has done in her administrative roles at the university later this semester. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in thanking Lisa for her contributions to Brandeis.

Sincerely,

Ron