He鈥檒l begin a second five-year term as a member of the Arts, Sciences & Engineering leadership team in 2022.
Jeffrey Runner has been reappointed to a second five-year term as dean of the College in Arts, Sciences & Engineering at the 人妻少妇专区.
鈥淒ean Runner has done a superb job in overseeing the College, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to continue for another five-year term,鈥� says Donald Hall, the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull dean of the faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering. 鈥淛eff is a strong advocate for students, and a caring administrator of the many programs and offices that report to him. He is a key member of the AS&E administrative leadership team, and I look forward to continuing my work with him.鈥�
Runner took over as dean in 2017, succeeding Richard Feldman. The College dean leads the units, programs, and initiatives that serve both the academic and non-academic needs of the undergraduates in Arts, Sciences & Engineering. The dean is responsible for 16 offices and centers that focus on areas such as academics, research, undergraduate support and advising, student life, and diversity.
Runner鈥檚 five-year reappointment begins July 1, 2022.
Runner started his career at the University in 1994 as a visiting assistant professor of . He became department chair in 2014 and a professor of linguistics in 2015, receiving the in 2006. He served for years as a first-year and sophomore pre-major advisor and as a faculty development and diversity officer for Arts, Sciences & Engineering. Since 2005, he has held a secondary role as associate professor of .
During Runner鈥檚 first term as dean, the College developed a vision statement that focuses on inclusivity and fostering an environment of belonging in which all students become innovative and adaptive lifelong learners. He also helped initiate a Basic Needs Hub and Food Pantry for students in need, hired the University鈥檚聽first LGBTQ coordinator, and created a dedicated Study Zone to support students facing academic challenges, in addition to expanding the number of online courses offered.
Runner says the focus of his next term will be 鈥渃reating an environment in which all students can succeed鈥� following an unprecedented period in which the COVID-19 pandemic forced the University to find innovative ways of teaching and learning.
鈥淭here is no going back,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hat we鈥檝e learned about ourselves and our world over the past year and a half cannot be unlearned. We must continue to change where we need to change, build and rebuild where the structures aren鈥檛 working.鈥�
Runner grew up in Rhode Island and attended the 人妻少妇专区 from 1981 to 1983. After taking three years off, he earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in linguistics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1989, and his doctorate in linguistics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1995.
