Announcement: Executive Dean of the College of Letters & Science

April 8, 2021

Dear Campus Community, 

We are delighted to announce that Professor Jennifer Johnson-Hanks has accepted our offer to become the next executive dean of the College of Letters & Science (L&S). This appointment is effective July 1, 2021. 

Jenna, as many of us know her by, is a Professor of Demography and Sociology, and currently serves as chair of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate. She is a leading figure in cultural demography and population theory, and her work addresses family variation and change in Africa and the United States, as well as the relationships between individual intentions, cultural practices, and population rates. 

With this appointment, the executive dean of the College of Letters and Science will become a dedicated full-time position with a reenvisioned scope: advancing the core identity and mission of the college and providing leadership for L&S undergraduate education. The position entails re-envisioning the future of undergraduate education in L&S; leadership of the L&S Division Undergraduate Studies; and advocacy, fundraising, and administration for the college. 

In her 20 years on the UC Berkeley faculty, Jenna has served her department, her division, and the Academic Senate in a number of leadership roles. We are confident that her leadership skills will serve her well in this new role as she helps usher in the next era of the College. You can learn more about Jenna in this story on the College of Letters & Science website.

We want to take this opportunity to thank Bob Jacobson for seven years of distinguished service as dean of undergraduate studies and Janet Broughton for her exemplary work as executive dean for the past two years. 

Please join us in congratulating Jenna on this much-deserved appointment and in thanking Bob and Janet for their service. 

Sincerely, 

Carol T. Christ 

Chancellor 

A. Paul Alivisatos 

Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost 

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