On Monday, April 15, Barnard President Laura Rosenbury announced that Rebecca L. Walkowitz, Dean of Humanities at Rutgers University, will serve as the next Barnard Provost and Dean of the Faculty starting on June 1.

In an email on Monday at 1:30 pm, President Laura Rosenbury informed students that Professor Rebecca L. Walkowitz will be Barnard’s new Provost after current Provost Linda Bell steps down at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Walkowitz has held academic positions at Rutgers University since 2007, currently serving as the school’s Dean of Humanities and as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of English in the School of Arts and Sciences. She was formerly Distinguished Professor in the English Department and an affiliate faculty member in Comparative Literature. She was described by President Rosenbury as a scholar with “a litany of prestigious honors and accolades,” and was honored with the Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research in 2020 from Rutgers.

Previously, she held positions such as the president of the Modernist Studies Association, was appointed to the steering committee of the American Council of Learned Societies consortium, and served on the executive board of the Society of Novel Studies. Walkowitz also held leadership roles in the American Comparative Literature Association and the Modern Language Association. She is an active member of several editorial and advisory boards, including journals such as SubStance, Contemporary Literature, MLQ, Twentieth-Century Literature, and ELN. 

Rebecca received her bachelor’s degree at Harvard-Radcliffe College. She went on to earn an M.Phil. in English and critical theory from the University of Sussex, followed by an A.M. and a Ph.D. in English and American literature and language from Harvard University. She authored the books Born Translated: The Contemporary Novel in an Age of World Literature and Cosmopolitan Style: Modernism Beyond the Nation and co-founded and co-edits the book series Literature Now.

Walkowitz will begin her tenure following Linda A. Bell, who served as Barnard’s Provost and Dean of the Faculty since 2012. Rosenbury ended the email noting that Linda Bell will return to her research as an empirical economist on July 1, after ensuring a smooth transition with Rebecca to her new role.

Email sent from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury to Barnard Students at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, April 16: 

Dear Barnard Community,

I am delighted to announce that I have appointed Rebecca L. Walkowitz as the next Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Barnard College, effective June 1.  Rebecca currently serves as the Dean of Humanities and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of English in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, where she has held academic positions since 2007.

Rebecca comes to Barnard with a litany of prestigious honors and accolades.  At Rutgers, she received the Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research in 2020.  Previously, she was appointed to the American Council of Learned Societies consortium steering committee, was president of the Modernist Studies Association, and served on the executive board for the Society of Novel Studies. 

Rebecca’s commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and consensus building will be critical to her role in leading and developing our faculty of teacher-scholars.  She is currently on the editorial and advisory boards for the journals SubStance, Contemporary Literature, MLQ, Twentieth-Century Literature, and ELN.  Rebecca also has served in leadership roles on major committees of the American Comparative Literature Association, the Modern Language Association, and the Modernist Studies Association.

Rebecca’s own life has been marked by a continuous pursuit of knowledge and exemplifies the College’s mission to cultivate intellectual risk-taking and discovery.  Rebecca received her undergraduate degree from Harvard-Radcliffe College, where she was president of The Harvard Crimson.  She completed her M.Phil. in English and critical theory at the University of Sussex before earning an A.M. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in English and American literature and language.  She is the author of Born Translated: The Contemporary Novel in an Age of World Literature and Cosmopolitan Style: Modernism beyond the Nation and is the co-founder and co-editor of the book series Literature Now.

I thank the provost search committee, co-chaired by Professor Rachel Austin and Professor Monica Miller, for conducting the nationwide search that led to this moment.  The committee recruited and interviewed a strong pool of candidates committed to excellence and community.  I am very grateful for the committee’s time, care, and judgment.

Rebecca will take over from Linda A. Bell, who has served as Barnard’s Provost and Dean of the Faculty since 2012.  Linda will return to her groundbreaking research as an empirical economist on July 1, after working with Rebecca to transition the role.  I am deeply appreciative of Linda’s camaraderie, counsel, and commitment to excellence, and we will gather as a campus community later this spring to celebrate Linda’s service to Barnard.

For now, please join me in extending a heartfelt welcome to Rebecca.  We are excited to have her become part of our bold Barnard community.  

Very truly yours,

Laura Ann Rosenbury 

President

Barnard Hall via Bwog Archives