The Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty is open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during the summer).
Location:
Converse Hall, Rm 103A
Corner of Route 9 and Route 116
Mailing Address:
Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Amherst College
P.O. Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
Phone: (413) 542-2334
Fax: (413) 542-2621
Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Catherine Epstein
Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Henry Steele Commager Professor of History
Phone: (413) 542-2334
Office: Converse 103A
The provost and dean of the faculty is the chief academic officer of the college and has primary responsibility for matters of academic policy and for the academic budget. The provost serves as secretary to the Committee of Six, the executive committee of the faculty, and as secretary to the faculty. She oversees the Robert Frost Library, the Mead Art Museum, the Beneski Museum of Natural History, the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Office of Institutional Research and Registrar Services, the Center for Community Engagement, the Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning, the Center for Humanistic Inquiry, the Center for Russian Culture, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Writing Center, the Moss Quantitative Center, the Office of Global Education, and the Office of Fellowships. The provost has joint responsibility for the Department of Physical Education and Athletics. She serves as the college’s Five College deputy. Please contact the provost with any questions or concerns that you may have. Learn more about Provost Epstein »
Dean’s Staff
John (Jack) T. Cheney
Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty
Samuel A. Hitchcock Professor of Mineralogy and Geology
Phone: (413) 542-2311
Office: Converse 102C
Please contact Jack with inquiries about faculty personnel procedures, the Faculty Research Award Program (FRAP), the science center project, compliance matters, the Moss Quantitative Center, sponsored research in the sciences, compliance committees (IACUC, IRB, IBC), equipping classrooms, faculty offices, the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program, and with general questions. He serves as the office’s liaison to the Departments of Information Technology, Facilities, the Faculty Computer Committee, and the Science Faculty Steering Committee.
Pawan H. Dhingra
Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty
Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank ’55 Professor of U.S. Immigration Studies, in American Studies
President, Association for Asian American Studies
Phone: (413) 542-5368
Office: Converse 102D
Please contact Pawan with inquiries about Amherst's faculty development programs (orientation for new faculty, mentoring programs), the Schupf Fellows Program, sponsored research in the humanities and social sciences, the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, and modest requests for funding for research and travel and for support for field trips, and the Gregory S. Call Undergraduate Research and Academic Internship Program. Pawan serves as the office’s liaison to the Writing Center, the Fellowships Office, the Office of Global Education, and the First-Year Seminar Committee. Pawan is leading implementation efforts surrounding the provost division's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and the division's anti-racism action plan.
Janet S. Tobin
Associate Provost
Phone: (413) 542-8483
Office: Converse 102A
Please contact Janet with inquiries about the Faculty Executive Committee and the Tenure and Promotion Committee, academic policies, faculty hiring procedures (including advertising), faculty personnel procedures, provost office communications (including the provost's newsletter and website), faculty meetings, new faculty orientation, the Alliance to Advance Liberal Arts Colleges (AALAC), NECHE (reaccreditation), the STINT Program (visiting faculty from Sweden), and with general questions. Janet serves as the office’s liaison to the Office of Communications and the trustee office.
Nancy K. Ratner
Director of Academic Projects
Phone: (413) 542-2089
Office: Converse 102BB
Please contact Nancy Ratner with questions about the Committee on Educational Policy (including proposals for new courses), the Gregory S. Call Student Research Program, the Schupf Scholars Program, the Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship, and faculty meeting minutes.
Steven Hegarty
Director of Academic Finance
Phone: (413) 542-5937
Office: Converse 102E
Please contact Steven with questions about policies and procedures relating to the academic budget, including academic department budgets, and for help with financial reporting.
Pamela Korenewsky
Academic Administration/Policy Specialist
Phone: (413) 542-8276
Office: Converse 102BB
Please contact Pam with inquiries about faculty personnel policies, procedures, and records; the faculty handbook; and administration of the Faculty Executive Committee and the Tenure and Promotion Committee.
Alice Simmoneau
Assistant to the Provost & Dean of the Faculty/Office Manager
Phone: (413) 542-2014
Office: Converse 102B
Alice supports the provost and dean of the faculty and serves as the office manager for the provost's office. She manages day-to-day office operations and is also responsible for managing administrative information processes relating to the faculty. Please contact her with general questions, including those surrounding policies, procedures, and faculty leave eligibility, as well as events and programming organized by the provost's office. If Alice doesn't know the answer, she will forward your inquiry to a colleague in the provost's office who can help you.
Lauren Banfield
Administrative Operations and Events Specialist
Phone: (413) 542-5620
Office: Converse 102B
Lauren Banfield works collaboratively with the assistant to the provost and dean of the faculty to support the administrative needs of the provost’s office. Lauren is responsible for administrative processes related to the Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP), the Alpha Delta Phi Fund and the David P. Patchel Memorial Fund. She also coordinates special events organized by the provost’s office. Please contact Lauren with general inquiries related to the programs noted above and with questions about special events.
Polly Devereux
Receptionist/Calendar and Program Coordinator
Phone: (413) 542-2334
Office: Converse 103A
Please contact Polly to schedule an appointment with the Provost or Associate Deans of the Faculty and for general questions and inquiries. She is responsible for administrative processes related to the Gregory S. Call Academic Internship Program and the Schupf Scholars Program.
Marie C. Fowler
Coordinator of Special Projects (casual)
Phone: (413) 542-5067
Office: Converse 102B
Marie provides administrative coordination and support for departmental external reviews, orientation programs for new faculty, assistance with COVID-testing for faculty, and other special projects within the provost's office.