Announcing New Dean in the College of Social Sciences

Sent: April 5, 2023

From: Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Campus Community,

I am very excited to announce that after a national search Dr. Anne Marie Todd has agreed to take up the post of Dean of the College of Social Sciences. She will begin her new position effective July 1, 2023. As many of you know, Dr. Todd currently serves as Associate Dean in the College of Social Sciences. She will continue in that role for the next several months as Dr. Heather Lattimer continues her interim role as dean. This transition period will allow time to search for other leadership in the college - in particular a new Associate Dean for Academics - to take Dr. Todd’s current role when she steps into this new position. 

I am very excited to partner with Dr. Todd in her new role. Dr. Todd has already proven herself to be more than a college leader; she is a campus leader as well. She currently provides oversight of the college’s enrollment strategies as well as its student success efforts. She is deeply committed to our campus goal to close equity gaps for our students. She has played a leading role in our division, as a thoughtful partner with colleagues in other colleges as well as in the Office of the Provost. Dr. Todd has also developed a deep level of experience in the areas of faculty development, curriculum and assessment, advising, and strategic enrollment management. These experiences will serve her well as we continue to evolve our campus enrollment strategy over the next several years. 

Prior to joining the Dean’s Office, she served as Department Chair of Communication Studies from 2019-2021. She has also been chair of the University Sustainability Board, co-chair of the Campus Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and has served on 91ΑΤΖζ’s Strategic Planning Taskforce for Transformation 2030 and WASC Steering Committees. Dr. Todd joined the Department of Communication Studies at 91ΑΤΖζ as an Assistant Professor in 2002. She has developed and taught more than 20 different courses at 91ΑΤΖζ including an interdisciplinary course on Climate Action and Leadership, one of the first of its kind in the nation, which has been taught continuously since 2007. She received the College of Social Sciences’ Teaching Excellence Award and 91ΑΤΖζ’s Outstanding Professor Award.

Anne Marie's scholarship explores a wide range of environmental discourse and public advocacy and has won multiple awards. Her most recent book, Valley of Heart's Delight: Environment and Sense of Place in the Santa Clara Valley, published by the University of California Press, is an agricultural history of Silicon Valley. She is a founding member of the International Environmental Communication Association. Anne Marie received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Rhetoric and Cultural Studies from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and her B.A. in Philosophy from Emory University.

I also want to acknowledge the outstanding leadership that Dr. Lattimer has provided for the College of Social Sciences since last summer. Dr. Lattimer has done more than β€œstep in,” she has helped guide the college over the last several months, bringing much needed stability during a time of transition. I am thankful to have such an amazing partner on campus, someone who not only can step into such situations but she also knows how to bring people together and develop a shared sense of purpose, even while managing an β€œinterim” appointment. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the search committee members, and their chair Dr. Travis D. Boyce, for their amazing work vetting the candidates for this role. They did an incredible job, providing thoughtful counsel to me in the process. 

I am very excited for the future of the College of Social Sciences and look forward to working closely with Dr. Todd in her new role. In the meantime, please provide her the space she needs to continue her work as associate dean for academics over the next several months. She will be the dean soon enough :) 

Sincerely,
Vin