Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Katherine S. Newman to step down

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share the news that Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Katherine S. Newman will be stepping down from her role later this summer to return to the faculty at UC Berkeley, where she will continue her research and scholarship as the Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy.

I am grateful that she has also agreed to serve as senior advisor to the president for a period of time following her service as provost, providing strategic counsel on the University’s international partnerships and the Degree Plus pilot program.

In the coming year, Katherine will complete her next book in collaboration with Evelyn Bellew (a doctoral student in sociology at UC Berkeley), which examines the unionization of foreign manufacturing plants in the southern states. I know many across the UC community will look forward to the insights that her scholarship continues to bring to issues of national importance.

During her tenure as provost, Katherine has been a steadfast champion for academic excellence, student success and the University’s public mission. She has worked closely with campus leaders, faculty, staff, student leaders, the UC Academic Senate and our Board of Regents to advance UC’s priorities across research, teaching and service.  Katherine’s commitment to innovation has been evident in every aspect of her leadership, including the creation of Degree Plus, the development of international research opportunities for UC faculty, and the launch of the UCAD Plus Joint Task Force. 

Before joining UC as provost in 2023, Katherine held leadership and faculty appointments at Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Massachusetts. An internationally recognized sociologist, she has authored many influential books and articles examining inequality, poverty, work, immigration, and the changing American economy. 

My office will launch a national search for UC’s next provost. I look forward to sharing more with the UC community as this process moves forward.

Please join me in thanking Katherine for her dedicated service to the University of California and in wishing her every success as she returns to the faculty and begins this exciting new chapter.

Sincerely,

James B. Milliken
President