After appointing Barbara Krauthamer as dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) in 2023, the University will need to find another leader to head the College, as Krauthamer stepped down from her role on Jan. 2, according to a Jan. 6 email from Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Badia Ahad. In the interim, Ahad tapped Jimmy Carter Professor of History and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Divisional Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Joseph Crespino to serve as dean.
Krauthamer’s resignation follows a flurry of leadership changes last year, as Crespino will be the third person to serve as an interim dean of one of the University’s nine schools.
Ahad wrote in her email to the Emory College community that Krauthamer stepped away from her position due to “personal reasons” and will continue as an ECAS faculty member. According to Ahad, Krauthamer’s tenure has worked to “strengthen” the undergraduate experience, writing that she has made “meaningful” changes to the College.
“I am grateful for her contributions to advancing academic excellence and supporting our students,” Ahad wrote.
Krauthamer’s replacement, Crespino, a 20th-century United States historian, has been at the College since 2003. Ahad wrote that Crespino is “deeply committed” to students and brings “dedicated service” to the College.
“I am confident that Interim Dean Crespino’s deep understanding of Emory College, his collaborative approach and his commitment to our students and faculty will serve him and the university well during this transition,” Ahad wrote. “I look forward to working with him as we continue to build upon the College’s strong liberal arts education.”
Ahad wrote that the University will begin a search for the next College dean soon and hopes to have the position filled by the fall. Currently, Leah Ward Sears (80L) is serving as interim university president, and Emory has not announced a search to replace her.
Lauren Yee (she/her) (24Ox, 27C) is a managing editor at The Emory Wheel. She is from Hong Kong, majoring in religion and German. Outside of the Wheel, Yee is the president of the Hong Kong Student Association and the managing editor for In Via, Emory's Christian thought journal. In her free time, you can find her playing the saxophone, watching musicals, listening to Taylor Swift or enjoying a pumpkin cream chai!
