BREAKING: Provost Claude Steele steps down
According to a university-wide email sent by Provost Steele and President Bollinger, Steele has stepped down as Provost to accept a position at Stanford University, where he will serve as Dean of the School of Education beginning this fall.
This marks the end of Steele’s brief two-year tenure as Provost, which started in Sept. 2009 after an 18-year tenure at Stanford—primarily in the psychology department—prior to his arrival at Columbia.
No word yet on who might be selected to serve an interim Provost role. Check out the full email from Steele and Bollinger after the jump.
From Claude Steele:
Dear Columbia Colleagues,
It is with a mix of emotions, the first of which is a genuine sadness, that I write to let you know that I have accepted a position as Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University, beginning in the fall of this year. Given my excitement about Columbia’s future and my deep engagement working with Lee and so many of you in planning for it, this was far from an easy decision – perhaps the most difficult of my career. Dorothy and I pulled up stakes and came east after 18 years at Stanford fully expecting Morningside Heights to be our personal and professional home for many years to come and we had no thoughts of leaving anytime soon. I love the job I have. It is a fascinating, challenging and constantly stimulating experience to be the Provost of a great research university, especially one that is thriving on so many important fronts and that is so well led by Lee, an extraordinary team of deans, as well as by its faculty. And we love being in New York.
But life doesn’t always go as planned. The decision to accept the Stanford offer came down to a difficult-to-pass-up opportunity to play a role in the field of education at this critical time in our nation’s history. I have spent my career trying to understand processes that drive educational achievement, and how to reduce the group inequalities in school achievement that so plague our society. In my new role I will have a chance to develop the implications of that work for policy and practice in schools and school systems – as well as to influence how educators themselves are educated. It is an important time to be rejoining that vital mission. Nothing less than this rare opportunity to do so at such a strong school of education could have lured me away from my current position at Columbia.
So, while I did not and would not have sought any other academic leadership post at this stage in my career, the chance to have an impact on this critical public issue, as well as the promise of a little more time for scholarship and writing, proved too attractive to turn down – a decision that was further bolstered by its bringing our family back together in the same time zone.
We will always be thankful for the way we have been welcomed at Columbia, we leave with considerable regret but also confidence that this personal change for us will in no way slow the extraordinary forward momentum that this university has established. I will forever be a friend to Columbia and a colleague in the missions we will continue to share.
With the warmest of wishes,
Claude M. Steele
From President Bollinger:
Dear Fellow Members of the Columbia Community,
Though personally saddened by Claude’s decision to return to Stanford, I completely understand this life choice. Given Claude’s great talents and the importance of the issues he wants to explore and resolve, this is clearly a benefit to society, while it is equally a loss for us at Columbia. I would add that choosing the right course for one’s professional and family life is rarely easy, and we can all empathize with how difficult this has been as Claude and Dorothy weighed this unexpected opportunity.
I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from working with Claude over these past two years. On behalf of the institution, we all appreciate his many contributions to our community, not least his embodiment of an outstanding scholar and teacher.
I will write again shortly with a plan for an interim provost to begin the new academic year and a process to select the next provost.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger
that puts him closer to his (evil) twin brother shelby, doesn’t it?
Hi Tanya- good for you. We have learned over the years that if you don’t stand up aniagst a wrong- then no one learns from the action. We have had a few experiences that required us to go up the ladder sometimes to the President- and we always got results. My feeling is that if you don’t do something about it or say something, you are condoning the action. Thanks for taking a stand on an unacceptable situation. You are teaching your children an important lesson.
yo, have you ever seen claude and shelby steele in the same room?
breaking news?
It was announced yesterday (the day that this post was published).
not the point. I meant how is this even relevant?
the provost leaves? the #2 officer in the whole university? what is relevant if not that? sorry, prezbo still has a job as of today?
AS a mere sea kayaker and lover of otslbiaas (dreamed of) I wish you the very best in these closing days of you trip. Superb effort on your part!! Being a retired Army guy myself who supports the Wounded Warrior Programs I can certainly support what you are doing. Kayaking can bring core strength to some of these wounded folks as does horse back riding exercises. However, I can bet being on a sailboat it would be a challenge they would relish in experiencing the wind and movement on the sea. I know msot could probably tackle the tackle if in the right boat so your intentions are well sighted. I intend to talk your site up at our next meeting of the US Army Special Forces Association (Chapter XI Arlington, VA) when we hang with or SEAL compatriots. Fair Winds George Hewitt
We want Zvi Galil back!!!
Hello Matt,Congratulations on your fabulous ruicse and best of luck or the home leg.I am the Annapolis Port Officer of the Ocean Cruising Club and I offer you any support I can give you upon your return. My own ocean sailing days are over , unfortunately, but I live on Crab Creek off the South River across from the London Towne House. For any boat projects of yours I have in my basement a small workshop set up years ago for building a 60 ft steel schooner in my drive way. Your friend Simon Edmards kows his way around my place.If so inclined please feel free to get in touch when you return to Annapolis.Cheers,Wolfgang.410 267 65402656 Greenbriar Lane, Annapolis, MD 21401
It’s great to finally be ponitsg on your site! I am a huge fan of the things that you do here, and I think that the free exchange of ideas on your site is a crucial part of improving music education. I look forward to blogging in the Fall. Until then, happy ponitsg everyone!