Dorothy E. Mosby named dean of the faculty, vice president for academic affairs
Skidmore College has announced that Dr. Dorothy E. Mosby will serve as the College’s next dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs.
Mosby will join the Skidmore community on or around June 1, 2023. She most recently completed a two-year term as interim dean of faculty and vice president for academic affairs at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she has been a faculty member since 2003 in the Department of Spanish.
“Dr. Mosby brings exceptional experience, skill, and leadership that will be key in supporting and leading our faculty and staff,” President Marc Conner said. “She also prioritizes students, will be a wonderful addition to Skidmore’s leadership team, and will act as an integral partner in the College’s efforts to support a more welcoming, diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible campus community.”
Mosby earned a master’s degree in Spanish and a doctoral degree in Romance Languages from the University of Missouri-Columbia. During her career at Mount Holyoke, she served in a wide range of leadership roles, including chair of the Spanish, Latina/o and Latin American Studies Department, faculty director and resident director of the MHC-Goucher Costa Rica Program, chair of the African and African American Studies Program, and the inaugural associate dean of faculty for faculty diversity, inclusion, and development, in addition to her appointment as interim DOF/VPAA from 2020 to 2022.
Deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Mosby developed the Racial Equity Research Action (RERA) grants program as part of Mount Holyoke’s Anti-Racism Action plan; worked with faculty governance committees to develop new charges to support faculty diversity; increased hiring of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ faculty and staff; led curricular and co-curricular reform and initiatives; and established data-driven practices for improving equity, student diversity, and student success in academic departments. She is also the author or translator of three books in Afro-Costa Rican Studies, in addition to dozens of essays, chapters, and conference papers.
Emilka Jansen ’24, who served on the search committee, expressed enthusiasm about Mosby’s appointment, saying, “Dr. Mosby’s commitment to racial justice, her willingness to engage with and listen to different perspectives, and her enthusiasm for Skidmore’s interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning make her ideal for this position.”
Jansen added, “Her goals around fostering an inclusive community that values academic excellence and wellbeing clearly align with Skidmore’s mission.”
Mosby says she looks forward to meeting and partnering with the many members of Skidmore’s dynamic campus to bolster the College’s strong, creative, and innovative curriculum. “I hope to listen and learn from the voices of the community and work with others to support the success of the College’s academic mission,” she said. “This success is inextricably and necessarily linked to student, staff, and faculty success; they go hand-in-hand for a vibrant, excellent, and inclusive college campus.”
“Skidmore’s motto, ‘Creative Thought Matters,’ resonates with who I am and the work I have chosen to support,” Mosby continued. “I knew I wanted to be at a college where I could work collaboratively to make a difference and where the dedication and creativity of the students, staff, and faculty would inspire me.”
Mosby will succeed Michael Orr, who will return to a faculty role in the Department of Art History following a yearlong sabbatical.
Sarah Sweeney, associate professor and chair of the Art Department, served on the search committee and praised Mosby’s “enthusiasm for creativity, interdisciplinarity, and innovative teaching,” noting that her “focus on growth, support, and community-building will make the Skidmore community stronger.” Similarly, Peter von Allmen, professor of economics, describes her “commitment to student success, faculty development, and community values as exactly what Skidmore needs in this moment and into the future.”
The national search was led by President Conner, who chaired the committee that included Peter von Allmen, Tammy Owens, David Howson, Sarah Sweeney, Jeanne Urquhart, Eriko Fujita, Iti Singh ’23, Emilka Jansen ’24, Adrian Bautista, and Joshua Woodfork. Jeanne Sisson in the Office of the President supported the search, and the committee was assisted by Steve Leo, managing director of Storbeck Search, an executive search firm that specializes in leadership hiring for colleges and universities and is part of the Diversified Search Group.
