From the green fields of Haverford to the bright orange Diana of Barnard

Linda Bell begins her tenure as Barnard’s new provost today, following the departure this fall of interim provost Paul Hertz, who took over following the departure of Provost Emerita Elizabeth Boylan in June of 2011. Bell comes to Barnard, in turn, following her own departure from Haverford where she has spent the last five years as Provost.

Following her appointment last February, Bell wrote:

As Barnard’s provost, I consider it my responsibility to listen and advocate for the ambitions of faculty and students and to advance the academic mission of the College wherever possible.

That part about listening should come in handy as Bell’s first week on the job includes SGA’s first town hall of the year–tomorrow from 6 to 8 pm in the Diana Center Event Oval–which plans to “Cultivate Better Communication between Students and Administrators.” Her experience as an economist shouldn’t hurt either as Barnard embarks on budget cuts and its forthcoming capital campaign.

Spec reports on today’s belle of the Barnard ball here.

Bell’s former stomping grounds via Wikimedia Commons