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Seeking student input on the next vice provost for undergraduate education

Dear Undergraduate Students,

As you may have heard, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Sarah Church has stepped down from her role. The search committee for a new vice provost for undergraduate education is now beginning its work.  The members of the committee are:

Jenny Martinez, Provost and Committee Chair
Pat Burchat, Professor of Physics
Noah Diffenbaugh, Professor of Earth System Science
Jay Hamilton, Professor of Communication
Sarah Heilshorn, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Stephanie Kalfayan, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Jared Klegar, Undergraduate Student, English
Gabriella Safran, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures
Mary Wootters, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

An advisory committee of undergraduate students will also be created to assist the work of the search committee.

The VPUE’s office serves Stanford’s entire undergraduate student community of over 7,800 students as well as serving as a resource for faculty from all schools to engage with undergraduates. More specifically, the office:

  • Supports and oversees implementation of undergraduate programs and general education requirements to provide students with the best of a liberal education.
  • Facilitates and supports programs that put students into intellectual contact with faculty beyond the classroom setting (such as through undergraduate research)
  • Runs signature programs such as:
    • Overseas and off-campus study opportunities
    • COLLEGE, PWR, Introductory Seminars
    • Ways requirement and Ways course certification
    • Academic Advising
    • Hume Center for Writing and Speaking
    • New Student Orientation

We are seeking a candidate of the highest caliber who is committed to improving the undergraduate experience. Suggestions from the student body are integral, and we would like to hear your thoughts about individual candidates as well as important traits in a VPUE generally and aspirations for undergraduate life at Stanford.

Please send your comments or nominations of Stanford faculty to vpuesearch@stanford.edu (or simply reply to this email) by February 15, 2024, for the committee’s review. All communication to the committee will be kept confidential, and we hope you take this opportunity to express your opinion. Additionally, you may hear from the student advisory committee who will also work to gather student input on the search.

I speak for the whole committee when I say that we will take this job very seriously and will work to ensure the best outcome for the future of undergraduate education at Stanford.  Thank you for your assistance, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Jenny Martinez
Provost and Committee Chair