Tim Jamison concludes appointment as associate provost

May 19, 2022
Cynthia Barnhart, Provost |

To the members of the MIT community,

I write today to announce that Tim Jamison, Robert Robinson Taylor Professor of Chemistry and former Chemistry department head, will conclude his term as associate provost effective June 30. Appointed in 2019 for a three-year term, Tim was charged with helping to advance the Institute’s efforts to cultivate an inclusive and diverse community.

As Tim prepares to return to his students and his research, I want to pause and reflect on his significant accomplishments on behalf of the MIT community over the past three years.

The post Tim took up was a new role for the Institute – created as MIT sought to recruit an Institute Community and Equity Officer (ICEO) following the retirement of Acting ICEO Alyce Johnson. Over the course of his term, Tim led efforts to foster a positive campus climate, served on many community-focused committees, helped the schools and the college advance local initiatives, and supported the work of MIT’s current ICEO, John Dozier.

Thoughtful and insightful in his approach, Tim made lasting contributions during his time as associate provost by promoting equity and expanding best practices that help to build a strong and inclusive MIT community.

Tim co-chaired many MIT working groups and committees, including the Committee on Race and Diversity; the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Action Plan steering team; the Committee on Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring; the Working Group on Disclosures; and the Renovations Subcommittee of the Committee for Renovation and Space Planning.

Along with many other Task Force 2021 responsibilities, Tim also served as co-chair of two Refinement and Implementation Committees (RICs) focused on graduate student mentoring and advising and strengthening the pipeline of underrepresented minority researchers. He also served as a member of the Digital Accessibility Working Group. He co-chaired MIT's National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Working Group on Academic and Organizational Relationships with Institute Professor and Chemical Engineering Department Head Paula Hammond, and he was instrumental in helping to develop MIT’s current harassment awareness and prevention training. Currently Tim and Paula are co-chairs of the Committee on the Graduate Advising and Mentoring, which released a draft plan to the MIT community last month.

In keeping with his long track record in service to the faculty, Tim worked closely with Assistant Provost Donna Behmer to support faculty programs and with former Faculty Chair Rick Danheiser to revise MIT’s tenure policy to include mentoring and advising.

Beginning July 1, Tim will be on a one-year sabbatical, during which time he will enjoy dedicating more time to mentoring and research. I hope you will join me in thanking Tim for his service to MIT as associate provost. I look forward to welcoming him back as a full-time member of the faculty – building on his more than 20-year career at MIT.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Barnhart
Provost