Associate Provost Wendy Singer has been named special assistant to the president for strategic initiatives and partnerships. She will begin in her new capacity starting July 1.
In announcing the move to the campus community, President Julie Kornfeld called Singer a “tremendous asset” and said she is excited about the new position that is “both outward-facing and Kenyon-supporting.”
“In this role, Wendy will collaborate with me and other senior leadership to implement Kenyon’s strategic plan and to develop partnerships that advance our strategic priorities,” Kornfeld wrote.
The position will focus on three primary areas: strategic plan implementation, academic partnerships, and community and regional engagement. As such, Singer will work with other academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, businesses, foundations and government agencies. She also will coordinate and enhance work with key stakeholders throughout the College.
“I believe that the future of the liberal arts — and perhaps higher education as a whole — depends on deepening our relationships in society as whole and, specifically, to our communities. Not only is there so much to learn from those (near and far) who are contending with the greatest issues of our day, but we, too, have a responsibility to give back to the communities we touch,” Singer said.
"This new role builds on my longtime commitment to realizing the benefits and importance of Kenyon's connections to the world — locally, regionally, and globally. I am excited by the vision and leadership that President Kornfeld is bringing to this work, and I can't wait to get started.”
A search for a new associate provost will begin in the coming weeks.
Singer joined the College in 1988 and serves as the Roy T. Wortman Distinguished Professor of History. An historian of South Asia, she has published three books on 20th century Indian history and politics and teaches courses not only on India, but also about globalization and migration, and transnational communities.
As associate provost, she has worked to support faculty in advancing their research and teaching at every stage of their careers and to promote Kenyon’s aims to further globalize the campus and integrate interdisciplinary studies fully into the curriculum.
Singer — who has a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree from the University of Virginia — won Kenyon’s Distinguished Faculty Service Award in 2021-22 and the Faculty Academic Advising Award in 2018.