SHASS interim dean appointed, search committee formed

To the members of the MIT community,

I am writing to share the news that Agustín Rayo, professor of philosophy, has agreed to serve as interim dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, effective August 18. His appointment follows the announcement, earlier this month, that Dean Melissa Nobles will become MIT’s chancellor later this summer.

An article on MIT News provides more information about Agustín's experience – including as the school’s associate dean – and the charge to a committee I have appointed to advise me on the selection of the next SHASS dean. The membership of the committee, to be chaired by Professor Caspar Hare, is at the close of this letter.

Comprising a diverse, accomplished group of faculty, the committee will work to provide me with its recommendation of outstanding candidates for a permanent SHASS dean this fall.

As the committee begins its work, I welcome your input and ideas regarding the best candidates for this role at shass-search@mit.edu. Or feel free to contact the committee chair, or any of the committee’s members directly. Your feedback will be treated as confidential.

I am deeply grateful to Agustín for accepting this interim position. I also thank the committee members for their service to SHASS and our community as a whole. I look forward to working with them during this time of transition.

Sincerely,

Martin A. Schmidt, Provost

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Advisory Committee | MIT SHASS Dean Search

Caspar Hare, Committee Chair (Philosophy)

Stephanie Ann Frampton (Literature)

Malick Ghachem (History)

Jonathan Gruber (Economics)

Sabine Iatridou (Linguistics)

Graham Jones (Anthropology)

Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga (Science, Technology, and Society)

Seth Mnookin (Comparative Media Studies/Writing)*

Janet Sonenberg (Theater Arts)

Kathleen Thelen (Political Science)

 

*Professor Mnookin joined the committee following Professor Jing Wang's passing in July 2021.