Campus News
Jennifer Johnson-Hanks to serve as Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Through a range of roles over 25 years at UC Berkeley, Johnson-Hanks has established a record of collaborative and transformative leadership in the service of excellent and inclusive public education.
Jennifer Johnson-Hanks is a professor of demography and sociology. She is a cultural demographer with interests in fertility and family, epistemology, and the history of population thought. (Photo by Keegan Houser)
Dear Campus Community,
I am excited to announce the appointment of Jennifer Johnson-Hanks as Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. Through a range of roles over 25 years at UC Berkeley, Johnson-Hanks has established a record of collaborative and transformative leadership in the service of excellent and inclusive public education. She brings to UC Santa Cruz experience in academic leadership at the level of the department, college, and campus, both in the faculty Senate and as an administrator.
Since 2021, Johnson-Hanks has served as Executive Dean of the College of Letters & Science, intellectual home to around 23,000 students and 780 faculty. Some of Johnson-Hanks’ greatest accomplishments as Executive Dean focused on uplifting the undergraduate experience through an approach centered on student belonging, wayfinding, and scholarly engagement. These pillars supported critical new initiatives, most notably the reshaping of L&S Advising and improving educational opportunities and experiences for first-year students.
Prior to becoming Executive Dean, Johnson-Hanks served as Chair of the Committee on Academic Planning and Resource Allocation (2017–2019) and Vice-Chair and Chair of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate (2019–2021), among other roles.
Johnson-Hanks joined UC Berkeley in 2000 and is a professor of demography and sociology. She is a cultural demographer with interests in fertility and family, epistemology, and the history of population thought. Her publications include the books Uncertain Honor: Modern Motherhood in an African Crisis; Understanding Family Change and Variation: Structure, Conjuncture, and Action; and a forthcoming book, How We Count: Why Quantitative Social Science Matters.
Johnson-Hanks’ appointment at UC Santa Cruz will begin on Jan. 1, 2027. I remain very grateful for the capable service of interim CPEVC Paul Koch since he assumed this position last July. I am also grateful that John MacMillan, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Vice Chancellor for Research, has agreed to serve as interim CPEVC from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2026.
I would also like to thank all the members of the search committee for their insights throughout the search. I deeply appreciate the engagement and meaningful feedback provided by our campus community as we considered four extremely talented finalists.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Cynthia Larive
Chancellor