Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Richard Bribiescas, Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Anthropology Department, will assume the position of Deputy Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity.  The new position will formally start on January 1, 2015, but Rick will begin to advise me on these matters immediately. The responsibility for faculty diversity and development has historically been part of a larger portfolio of one of the deputy provosts, and I wanted now to devote a deputy provost position fully to these important issues.

Rick has been part of the faculty at Yale since 1998.  He received his B.A. in Anthropology and Psychology (double major) from the University of California, Los Angeles, afterwards earning an A.M. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard University. Prior to coming to Yale, he was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Reproductive Endocrine Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. His research focuses on the evolutionary biology and endocrinology of human and comparative life histories, including reproduction, aging, and metabolism.  Along with other research initiatives, he is currently most engaged in a collaborative project with anthropologists at the University of Oregon and Queen’s College CUNY that investigates how cultural, social, ecological, and economic transitions among indigenous populations in Ecuador affect their health and well-being.

Rick is committed to the goals of achieving excellence and diversity among our faculty. As Deputy Provost, he will have oversight for faculty development, including working with deans and others to identify, recruit, and promote outstanding faculty.  He will provide support and advice to search, tenure, and appointments processes.

Rick will also take the lead in developing a university-wide faculty diversity initiative.  He plans to consult widely with faculty, and I encourage you to share your observations, concerns, and suggestions with him. As you may recall, last semester the president and I invited a group of educators, physicians, and researchers to visit the campus and advise us on ways to improve diversity among the faculty.  This Diversity Summit Visiting Committee finalized its report over the summer [attached]. One of the recommendations from the Summit was to name a deputy provost focused on faculty development and diversity, so I am especially pleased to announce this appointment as we share the Summit’s report with you. One of Rick’s first assignments will be to work with me to finalize the responses to the Diversity report.

Rick has a strong track record of promoting all aspects of excellence, including diversity, in recruiting and mentoring faculty in his department, and I know we can depend on his leadership to support this excellence university-wide.  I am delighted to welcome him to this role.

Yours,

Ben Polak

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Ben Polak

Provost

William C. Brainard Professor of Economics

Office of the Provost

Yale University

P.O. Box 208365

New Haven, CT  06520-8365