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RE: Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Update
To: All campus
January 11, 2024
To the UC Merced community,
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth “Betsy” Dumont, Ph.D., as executive vice chancellor and provost of UC Merced after a robust process that drew candidates from across the United States.
Dr. Dumont has served as dean of our School of Natural Sciences since 2017 and is a professor of life and environmental sciences. Prior to UC Merced, she served in a succession of administrative roles at the University of Massachusetts, including senior vice provost for faculty. She has held faculty positions at UMass Amherst and Northeast Ohio Medical University and taught at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She holds a Ph.D. in physical anthropology from Stony Brook University.
As dean of natural sciences, Dr. Dumont has overseen the development of several new majors, shepherded the formation of our B.S. to M.D. pathway in partnership with UCSF and UCSF-Fresno, and spearheaded the deployment of staff to academic departments. She has been active in fundraising and strategic planning for her school and the university.
Dr. Dumont will assume her responsibilities as executive vice chancellor and provost from Dr. Marjorie Zatz, who has been serving as interim since June 1, and who will chair the search for an interim dean of natural sciences. Dr. Dumont’s position will begin upon the appointment of that interim dean.
Dr. Zatz, a professor of sociology and former dean of the Graduate Division and interim vice chancellor for research and economic development, will take a well-deserved six-month sabbatical and then return to serve as a special advisor to the chancellor.
I want to thank Dr. Zatz for her tremendous service, and also offer thanks to the search advisory committee for the executive vice chancellor and provost position. The committee was co-chaired by Vice Chancellors Delia Saenz and Gillian Wilson, and included:
- Patricia LiWang, Academic Senate chair
- Austyn Smith, Staff Assembly
- Charles Nies, vice chancellor for student affairs
- Christiane Spitzmueller, vice provost for academic affairs and strategy
- April Graves, executive assistant, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
- Mark Matsumoto, former dean of the School of Engineering
- Teamrat Ghezzehei, professor of life and environmental sciences
- Nigel Hatton, associate professor of literatures, languages and cultures
- Ashlie Martini, professor and department chair of mechanical engineering
- Asa Bradman, professor and department chair of public health
- Michael Brown, UCOP special advisor to the president, former provost and executive vice president of academic affairs
- Kyle Magro, Associated Students of UC Merced
- Shauna Bennett, non-Senate faculty
- Edgar Perez Lopez, Graduate Student Association
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Dumont and welcoming her to this new leadership role at UC Merced.
Cordially,
Juan Sánchez Muñoz
Chancellor
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