Yale News

Steven Wilkinson will serve as Yale’s second dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, succeeding FAS Dean Tamar Gendler, per an email announcement on Tuesday. Wilkinson will begin his five-year term on Jan. 1.

Wilkinson serves as vice provost for global strategy, directs the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies and holds multiple teaching appointments in the Political Science and South Asian Studies programs. He previously served as acting FAS dean of Social Science, deputy chair of the FAS-School of Engineering & Applied Sciences Senate for the 2021-22 academic year and the chair of the Political Science Department from 2014 to 2019.

In their Tuesday email, McInnis and Strobel praised the “breadth of [Wilkinson’s] experiences” in leadership, teaching and research across the University and expressed optimism at his ability to “implement strategic priorities” for the University. 

“His involvement in university committees has addressed critical issues such as the formation of the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, the Belonging initiative, faculty support and mentoring, risk assessment, international education, and gifts and grants,” McInnis and Strobel wrote. “He also has been sought out by other leading research universities for his expertise in evaluating their international initiatives, research, and teaching.”

As vice provost for global affairs, Wilkinson has expanded Yale’s capacity to engage in international scholarship, per McInnis and Strobel. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilkinson chaired a faculty group that ensured the continuation of international research at the University. According to McInnis and Strobel, Wilkinson has also led efforts to expand the Scholars at Risk program, which provides academic and financial support to scholars who face persecution in their home countries. The program extended invitations to two scholars from Gaza last spring. 

Wilkinson’s appointment comes after a semester-long search for the next FAS dean after University President Maurie McInnis and Provost Scott Strobel announced in September that Gendler would end her second, five-year term on Dec. 31. 

The Search Advisory Committee for the next dean, chaired by former Yale College Dean Marvin Chun, interviewed key stakeholders, including Gendler, department chairs and FAS-SEAS Senate members, and accepted nominations for the position through an online form.

After the search committee narrowed nominations from current Yale FAS faculty down to fewer than 10 unranked candidates, McInnis and Strobel chose finalists, who were then interviewed by the committee, per Chun. Based on the committee’s findings, McInnis and Strobel made the ultimate selection for the next FAS dean.

While Chun wrote to the News that McInnis and Strobel did not “specifically” provide their rationale “from start to end” for selecting Wilkinson, he approved how they accounted for the search committee’s input.

“It is clear that they considered the committee’s recommendations, which were, in turn, based on input from the community,” Chun wrote. “I’m thrilled that Professor Wilkinson will be our next FAS Dean. He’ll be fantastic.”

In their announcement, McInnis and Strobel stated that the Office of the Provost will soon announce how the University will identify Wilkinson’s successors as vice provost for global strategy and director of the MacMillan Center.

Wilkinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.