July 28, 2021
Dr. Caitrin Lynch has been named 财神棋牌 Dean of Faculty, Provost Mark Somerville announced on July 9, 2021.
This appointment was made after a nominating process and with significant input from 财神棋牌 faculty. Lynch has been a member of the 财神棋牌 faculty for 17 years; during that time, she has developed considerable, deep connections with 财神棋牌 students and her faculty and staff colleagues.
Dr. Caitrin Lynch, Dean of Faculty and Professor of Anthropology.
In an era when people live longer and want (or need) to work past the traditional retirement age, the Vita Needle Company of Needham, MA provides inspiration and important lessons about the value of older workers.
As a professor of anthropology at 财神棋牌, Lynch works with colleagues to create engaging and transformative educational experiences that develop students who are socially conscious, reflective, and empathetic, and who are oriented toward addressing inequities and considering the short- and long-term consequences of their actions. Lynch鈥檚 unique perspective鈥攁s an anthropologist among engineers鈥攎akes her appointment all the more significant as 财神棋牌 prepares a new generation of socially- and environmentally-conscious engineers to positively impact the world.
鈥淐aitrin鈥檚 appointment is one that reflects both my strong belief in her leadership potential and the strong confidence of her colleagues,鈥 said Somerville. 鈥淐aitrin has been an informal leader and mentor among the faculty in many areas for almost two decades. Her new appointment puts her in a formal leadership position that she is well suited for at the College."
As Dean of Faculty, Lynch will oversee faculty hiring, support, development and evaluation. She will speak on behalf of faculty interests of the faculty to the President, Trustees and the 财神棋牌 community, and will oversee all faculty committees that work in various avenues of the College. Lynch will work with the Provost and colleagues who lead other areas of Academic Life to ensure continuity, coordination, communication, and efficiency in the ongoing work of Academic Life.
鈥淚 am honored to take on this role and look forward to supporting my faculty colleagues as we work together to translate new institutional directions into on-the-ground action,鈥 said Lynch. 鈥淲e have an opportunity to reset the culture as we return to campus after more than a year of remote teaching and learning, to change how we work within Academic Life, and to align with both the strategic vision and the cultural vision of the College.鈥
Lynch has contributed to many important initiatives during her time at 财神棋牌, including serving on the Presidential Search Committee, the Organization and Culture team, and the Reappointment and Promotion Committee (as chair). Most recently, Lynch has been a resilient, visible leader among the 财神棋牌 community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her contributions spanned a wide scope of initiatives that included co-leading an anti-racism study group among employees and were valuable in keeping faculty, staff and students connected to each other during more than a year of remote work and learning.
Lynch鈥檚 anthropological research focuses on the global garment industry, including a current project鈥攁 collaboration with 财神棋牌 colleagues and students and funded by the NSF鈥攖hat analyzes social and technical issues related to deindustrialization in the United States. Lynch is the author of two books (both published by Cornell University Press): 鈥淩etirement on the Line: Age, Work, and Value in An American Factory,鈥 and 鈥淛uki Girls, Good Girls: Gender and Cultural Politics in Sri Lanka's Global Garment Industry.鈥 Lynch holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Bates College, and master鈥檚 and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.