Announcing The New School’s Next Provost: Dr. Renée T. White
A Message from Dr. Dwight A. McBride, President and University Professor
Dear members of The New School community,
I am thrilled to announce that Dr. Renée T. White will join The New School August 1, 2021 as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. White is a distinguished academic leader, higher education administrator, and scholar of race, gender, and social inequality. Since 2016, she has served as Provost and Professor of Sociology at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
She previously served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Simmons University from 2011 to 2016. Before Simmons, she was Professor of Sociology and Black Studies and Academic Coordinator for Diversity and Global Citizenship at Fairfield University. She began her academic career at Purdue University, where she held a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and the African American Studies Research Center.
Dr. White is the editor of three books, including the acclaimed Spoils of War: Women of Color, Cultures, and Revolutions. She is the author of Putting Risk in Perspective: Black Teenage Lives in the Era of AIDS. She has served as editor of the Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention in Children & Youth and as editorial advisor to the Journal of HIV/AIDS and Social Services. She was a Wye Faculty Fellow at the Aspen Institute and completed a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in Black film studies.
Her current research is in three areas: the impact of public discourse on social policy concerning reproductive rights, representations of Blackness in popular culture, and applications of black feminist theory to higher education leadership. She is co-editor of a forthcoming book on Black Panther. She holds an AB with honors from Brown University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University.
Dr. White was captivated by the distinctive strengths, character, and future she sensed at The New School. She offers a few words of greeting in this brief video.
Dr. White emerged as the lead candidate in an extensive search process that began last September. I am extraordinarily grateful to the Search Advisory Committee and its co-chairs, Rachel Schreiber, Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design, and Darrick Hamilton, Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy and University Professor. I also want to express my gratitude to the many colleagues across the university who contributed to this process from the very beginning to this exciting result. The participation and viewpoints of many individuals and communities across the university resulted in a search that had broad reach, high aims, and the fullest consideration of values, aspirations, and characteristics you saw as critical for the role of the Provost.
I also cannot overstate the contributions of Interim Provost Stephanie Browner and the depth of my gratitude to her. Over the past seven-and-a-half months, not only has she effectively managed an enormous responsibility in a time of unprecedented challenges, but she also took steps to ensure that the opportunity for the next Provost was a compelling one—an opportunity both to chart a strong future and work with a great team.
Once Dr. White begins in August, we will create opportunities—both virtual or in-person—to introduce her widely and help her to learn more about her new university home. Please join me in welcoming her, supporting her, and showing her the excellence, drive, and compassion she has only begun to see at The New School.
Search Advisory Committee
Darrick Hamilton, Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy & University Professor, Co-chair
Rachel Schreiber, Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design, Co-chair
Jay Bernstein, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
John Bruce, Associate Professor of Design and Management
Weiouqing Chen, Chair of the Student Senate
James Fuerst, Assistant Professor
Maggie Koozer, Vice Dean for Curriculum & Learning for the College of Performing Arts
Tony Dunne, University Professor of Design
Susan Foote, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board
Victoria Hattam, Professor of Politics
Tokumbo Shobowale, Executive Vice President for Business & Operations
Lucille Tenazas, Henry Wolf Professor of Communication Design
McWelling Todman, Professor of Clinical Practice in Psychology
Mia White, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Advisor to the Search Advisory Committee: Jerry Cutler, Senior Vice President for Human Resources and General Counsel
Search Advisory Committee Administrator: Elizabeth K. Brasher, Director of Operations Office of the President