Dean Paul Goldbart reached out to the College of Natural Sciences community as Stony Brook University announced he would be that campus's next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
It is with a blend of emotions that I write to let you know that I have accepted a position to serve as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University, where I shall be reporting to President Maurie McInnis, beginning March 22. To leave Texas and a community that is so accomplished, talented, optimistic, and adventurous was not an easy decision. Serving as dean of The University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences has been one of the great privileges of my life. I am deeply grateful for your warm Texas welcome and for your dedicated partnership these last few years. I am also thankful to Senior Associate Dean David Vanden Bout, who has accepted Provost Daniel Jaffe's invitation to serve as interim dean, as he did before I arrived at UT.
Read Provost Dan Jaffe's message to the campus »
Dean Vanden Bout and the other extraordinary leaders – from department chairs, dean's office leadership, faculty, staff and students, to volunteer leaders and tireless supporters like all of you – give me the utmost confidence about what lies ahead. The college will continue to be a guiding star for UT Austin's future and play the central role in advancing UT's global status in science, mathematics and computing.
The college's work will continue: to produce breathtaking research; to empower many thousands of students via excellent mentoring, instruction, advising, and curricular reform; and to celebrate science through a broad program of public engagement.
We have prioritized student learning and high-quality instruction as well as faculty and staff development initiatives that will continue long after my tenure. Our community also has promoted the culture of engaging productively across departments and colleges to advance shared goals. We have made key progress on important initiatives linked to our college-wide strategic framework and our values of advancing inclusion and equity.
What I shall cherish most is what I have seen over the past ten months. Through great creativity and resilience, the college community has risen nimbly to the numerous challenges of COVID-19, ensuring student progress, maintaining business services, and managing research responsibly. Notably, CNS researchers are contributing some of the most important science of the day, and we've celebrated these accomplishments by sharing them broadly. Our community hasn't just changed the world, it's returning the world to the safe and flourishing existence we once took for granted.
We've also come together around the urgent cause of becoming a diverse, inclusive community of excellence, building upon the vision of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and Action Team with shared input from so many of you. This vital work will continue because it rests on the efforts and values central to this college.
The spirit of collaboration between the departments and the dean's office and the creativity and drive of this community will continue to fuel the college's positive trajectory far into the future, under Dean Vanden Bout's leadership and beyond. I have so enjoyed witnessing it all.
