Home / 2024 / December / Herbie Lee to serve as interim Dean of Social Sciences

Herbie Lee to serve as interim Dean of Social Sciences

To: UCSC Community

From: Lori Kletzer Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

December 19, 2024

I am delighted to announce that Herbie Lee, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Statistics, will serve as interim Dean of Social Sciences, effective July 1, 2025. He will be stepping into the role currently held by Dean Katharyne Mitchell, who will return to the faculty with the Department of Sociology. 

Herbie will conclude his tenure as vice provost this summer when he assumes interim dean responsibilities. We will launch an internal search for our next Vice Provost for Academic Affairs in the winter quarter, with more details shared in early 2025.

We anticipate launching a national search for the Dean of Social Sciences in the 2025-26 academic year.

I am grateful to Katharyne and Herbie for their committed leadership. They have advanced our mission in important ways.

Katharyne joined UC Santa Cruz in 2017 after 24 years with the University of Washington. As dean, she strengthened the teaching, learning, and research within the division while also remaining an active scholar with current research exploring the role of faith-based organizations in providing humanitarian aid and refuge to migrants. 

In her first year, she founded the Institute for Social Transformation, which—through rigorous research and strong global and community partnerships—has promoted environmental rejuvenation, democratic revitalization, and societies rooted in equity and justice.

Under her leadership, UC Santa Cruz also launched the Global and Community Health program, a collaborative effort of the Social Sciences and Physical and Biological Sciences that attracts students who seek to study real-world problems, focus on health needs found locally and worldwide, and prepare for a career in health care, policy, research, or advocacy. 

I am incredibly grateful for Katharyne’s leadership and tireless advocacy for the impactful work of the faculty, staff, and students in the Division of Social Sciences. 

I am confident the division will be well managed under Herbie’s leadership. For nearly 15 years, Herbie has skillfully led Academic Affairs, which serves the UC Santa Cruz academic community through equity-minded support of teaching, scholarship, academic recruitment and advancement, and academic program development. Herbie has been instrumental in establishing and growing the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (now the Teaching and Learning Center) and supporting hundreds of faculty through diversity initiatives and grants, fellowships, and professional development. Herbie also provided campuswide leadership as interim Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor in 2017. 

Our campus is fortunate to have benefited from Katharyne and Herbie’s vision, leadership, and steadfast commitment to our mission. I look forward to working with Herbie in his new role and I wish Katharyne all the best as she joins the faculty.