Dr. Rachel Croson Appointed Executive Vice President and Provost

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

I am delighted to announce that Dr. Rachel Croson will become our next Executive Vice President and Provost on March 30, 2020, pending Board of Regents approval. Dr. Croson is an accomplished academic leader who represents the very best of the academy. She brings to this important role an extraordinary breadth of talent, experience, and strategic acumen, and I’m excited that she will be joining the University’s senior leadership team.

As Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Croson will serve as chief academic officer for the University of Minnesota System and provost for the Twin Cities campus. She will have systemwide oversight responsibility for undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, promotion and tenure, academic and research programs and policies, and faculty development. Dr. Croson will provide oversight to the colleges, schools, and academic units on the Twin Cities campus, and work closely with me, the chancellors, and others to advance greater impact for our students, state, and beyond.

Dr. Croson comes to us from Michigan State University (MSU), where she currently serves as dean of the College of Social Science and MSU Foundation Professor of Economics. While dean at MSU she ran a participatory strategic planning process, the implementation of which led to significant increases in faculty research and grants, student placement and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She currently serves on the Association of American Universities Advisory Board on Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination. Prior to MSU, she served as dean of the School of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington, division director for Social and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation, professor and director of the Negotiations Center at the University of Texas at Dallas, and associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Dr. Croson earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, with a double major in economics and philosophy and a minor in political science, and her doctorate in economics from Harvard University.

I would like to thank the search committee for their work to yield such a tremendous pool of candidates, as well as the many members of the University community who participated during the search process. Your feedback and collective contributions have been invaluable to me. I especially thank co-chairs Professor and Faculty Consultative Committee Chair Amy Pittenger and Vice President for Research Chris Cramer. And a special thanks to Provost Karen Hanson for her outstanding service, leadership, and dedication to the University of Minnesota, and for her willingness to partner with Dr. Croson and me in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition.

Finally, this search process provided me an invaluable opportunity to learn so much more about our University—from our strength of collaboration, to our academic leadership commitment that extends to all reaches of our system. As my first, and most significant hire to date, I’m confident Dr. Croson will help us advance from great to greater. Please join me in welcoming her to the U of M.

Warm regards,

Joan Gabel