Former Yale University psychology professor Robert Sternberg became the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences on Aug. 15. Sternberg replaced Susan Ernst, who stepped down at the end of last school year to concentrate on teaching and research in the biology department.
Sternberg was chosen to fill the position by two committees. A faculty search committee worked last spring to narrow down a large group of candidates. A second advisory committee, consisting of undergraduate and graduate students, University President Lawrence Bacow and other administrators, then made the final decision.
At Yale, Sternberg was an IBM Professor of Psychology and Education and the Director of Graduate Studies in the psychology department. He was also the director of the Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies and Expertise (PACE Center).
According to University Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha, the committees valued candidates with strong academic backgrounds in arts and sciences, and shared Tufts' educational values, such as a dedication to teaching, scholarship, active citizenship and diversity.
According to Bharucha, Sternberg has done work "in the field of education to advance our understanding of how people who...come from less privileged backgrounds...can nevertheless be given opportunities to develop and opportunities to succeed."
Sternberg promises a flexible approach to his new position, and has already started to feel out possible future directions for the school. "My initial plans are to meet as many people as possible including students, staff, faculty, alumni and other friends of Tufts in order to learn more about Tufts itself," he said.
Sternberg identified three early priorities: fundraising for need blind admissions, broadening admissions requirements, and maximizing learning for students.
"Some students are more conventional learners ... [while] some are more practical learners," Sternberg said. "I'd like to work with faculty and students in order to enhance the teaching and learning experience."
Sternberg also said he would like to study and improve the quality of life on campus. "I'll be looking for ways to enhance life for students and faculty," he said. "My conversations with students and faculty early on will shape what I'm doing. I'm not coming in with a preset agenda."
In addition to becoming the new arts and sciences dean, Sternberg plans bring the PACE Center to the Tufts Psychology Department. According to the PACE Center Web site, its mission is to study "the nature and nurture of human abilities, competencies, and expertise...in various cultures around the world."
Psychology Department Chair Joseph Debold is enthusiastic about the PACE Center coming to Tufts because as no current professors specialize in that field of research. "[Sternberg has] one of the most influential theories on the nature of love," Debold said. "[The PACE center] adds a new aspect to the department."
Scott Kaufman, who worked in the PACE Center at Yale as a graduate student, said Sternberg delegates responsibility well. According to Kaufman, Sternberg finds out what expertise people have, and then allocates tasks to them accordingly.
Kaufman also said Sternberg is not afraid to take risks. "Working with [Sternberg] was great because I got ideas that most other psychology departments would say are too liberal, or too broad," Kaufman said. "He gave me support and let me do my own thing."
Kaufman described the PACE Center as place that encouraged educational opportunity. "I've never been in a more supportive atmosphere in my entire life," he said.
Jennifer Jordan, who was an advisee of Sternberg while she was a doctoral student at Yale, said Sternberg fits Bharucha's ideas of educational values.
"His big thing was being very fair to everybody, giving everybody an equal amount of his attention," Jordan said.
Jordan spoke highly of Sternberg's accessibility to students. "He often traveled internationally, but in five years, I never sent him one e-mail he didn't notice," she said.
Sternberg applied for the position because he was looking to try something different. "I reached a point in my career where I felt I needed a change," he said. "After being an undergraduate student at Yale, and spending 30 years on the faculty there, I decided that it was time to do something new."
He assumes a position that Ernst called "the ultimate responsibility for the school."
Sternberg said he is looking forward to working with his new colleagues. "This is a really exciting team to be part of," he said.
