She will start October 1, shortly after concluding her term as Haverford's Provost.
Linda Bell, the John B. Hurford Professor of Economics and Provost at Haverford since 2007, has been appointed Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Barnard College in New York City. Her term begins October 1.
In an announcement to the Barnard community, Barnard President Debora Spar said that their search committee was seeking a candidate“who could lead and develop our faculty, sustain and enhance our relationship with Columbia, expand our global connections, increase our diversity, and represent our academic programs and mission. Linda Bell's combination of liberal arts experience and scholarship in her field of economics make her a natural choice for Barnard.”
During her brief sabbatical from July to October, Prof. Bell plans to advance her research on gender differences in executive compensation and on the role of women in mentoring women professionals.
Under her guidance as Provost, the College hired outstanding faculty, enhanced bi-college and tri-college relations, established new curricular and co-curricular programs, and underwent a successful decennial reaccreditation review. Prof. Kim Benston, who'll succeed Bell as Provost here at Haverford, made special note of her role in recruiting first-rate faculty. “We will look back upon the previous administrative period as one that brought to the College a remarkable cohort of young scholar-teachers who will continue to enrich the curriculum and campus culture in myriad ways. That is among the most important seeds a Provost can help plant, and we will, happily, reap its yield for generations of students to come.”
Before learning about the Barnard opportunity, she'd planned a return to teaching and research in Haverford's economics department, which she'd helped build. “She had a vision for the department that included breadth of coverage across economic subfields, depth of coverage within the core disciplines and close student faculty interaction at all levels,” noted colleague Anne Preston. “We are very sorry that she will not be rejoining us but hope to maintain the level of departmental excellence and collegiality that is her legacy.”
Added sociologist Mark Gould,“She was ambitious for the College and for each member of the College. She helped us to think hard about how the College might enhance itself academically, and she worked hard to enable each member of the community to reach his or her goals. She fostered a plan to reduce teaching loads and to hire more faculty, to enhance both our teaching and our scholarship. She taught us that we should support programs that move the College forward, even when each of us would steer it in a slightly different direction. Some people feel joy in the midst of racial and ethnic heterogeneity; some people understand how this heterogeneity contributes to the academic mission of the College. Professor Bell is one of those people. She is a person of great moral integrity, a mensch. She treats everyone with respect, and we came to respect and value her greatly. She will make a great Provost at Barnard. They are very lucky to have her.”
Prof. Bell came to Haverford in 1992. During her two decades at the College, she twice chaired the Department of Economics, won the Linbeck Award for distinguished teaching, and served the College in a number of important capacities including the Academic Council, the Presidential Search Committee and the Faculty Committee on Academic Enrichment (FCAE).
"I cherish the last twenty years that I've spent at Haverford and the wonderful students, faculty, and staff with whom I've had the pleasure to work,” she said.“My family will miss the Haverford Community, and we plan to stay in close touch with the many friends we've made here."
