Dean of both the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences David Quigley has been named provost and dean of faculties for Boston College, according to a press release from the Office of News and Public Affairs released Tuesday. He will succeed interim provost Joseph Quinn, who has served in the role for the past year.
Quigley, who will assume his new position on June 1, has been at BC since 1998, first as an assistant professor of history, and later as associate dean for first-year students, and then dean of A&S. He is also a founding director of the Institute for the Liberal Arts.
University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. was quoted in the press release as saying that Quigley has excelled as a teacher and scholar, and that his five years of experience as dean of A&S will benefit him in his new role.
“David Quigley is well suited to be the next provost of Boston College,” Leahy said in the statement. “[He] both understands and supports BC’s mission, especially its Jesuit, Catholic dimensions.”
Theology department chair Catherine Cornille, who led the provost search along with Executive Vice President Patrick Keating, expressed confidence in the search committee’s choice of Quigley, also noting his dedication to the Jesuit educational model.
“During his tenure as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, David Quigley has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to liberal arts education in the Jesuit tradition,” Cornille said in the statement. “He knows Boston College from the inside and he has the vision, the experience, and the dedication to carry the University forward on its trajectory of excellence.”
During his time at BC, Quigley has been recognized for attracting and hiring young faculty members, developing additional interdisciplinary majors and cross-school collaborations, and playing a key role in designing Stokes Hall. He has also served as interim director of the A&S Honors Program since 2011.
Quigley acknowledged that his experience as dean of A&S has exposed him to a wide range of departments and programs across the University, preparing him for the position of provost.
“[Serving as dean of A&S] has educated me regarding the challenges and opportunities for liberal arts universities today,” Quigley said in an email. “I’ve worked with many talented students and faculty, and I’ve learned a great deal about how to build strong, collaborative relationships with colleagues across disciplinary and divisional lines.”
Over the past year, Quigley has been a central figure in the undergraduate core curriculum renewal. Despite his new role, Quigley said he intends to remain active in the process.
“Moving beyond this semester, I look forward to helping advance the core renewal process as I believe strengthening our undergraduate core curriculum must be a central strategic priority for Boston College,” he said.
Quigley said in the statement that it was an honor to be asked to assume the role, and that he hopes to further the work that he and his colleagues have started in his 16 years at the University, as well as maintain the quality of the BC faculty.
“It’s an awesome responsibility to sustain and advance what they have achieved here, but it is also incredibly exciting to think of our opportunities, of the ways in which we can strengthen our undergraduate and graduate programs and develop an extraordinary cohort of young faculty to position Boston College even more firmly among the world’s great universities,” Quigley said.
Quigley also said that a decision regarding leadership in A&S will be made later this semester, and that his successor will be responsible for the A&S Honors Program until a new permanent director is named.
“I am committed to hiring, developing, and retaining the very best in all disciplines, and we’re confident that we can hire talented scholar-teachers who are drawn to our distinctive culture,” he said in an email. “Faculty stand at the heart of the University, and I look forward to serving as the chief academic officer for my nearly 800 faculty colleagues.”
*An earlier version of this story appeared online on Tuesday, March 11, 2014.
