Philippe Baillargeon Named Associate Dean for Careers, Professional Pathways, and Innovation
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The University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) has named Philippe Baillargeon associate dean for careers, professional pathways, and innovation. Baillargeon joins the dean’s office from the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (LLC), where he served as chair. He is also a senior lecturer in French and Francophone studies.
“Philippe brings a thoughtful, collaborative approach to this work, along with extensive experience building programs and partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for students,” said Maria del Guadalupe (Lupe) Davidson, dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. “His leadership will help HFA strengthen the connections among academic study, experiential learning, and the many professional pathways available to our graduates.”
We asked Baillargeon to discuss the purpose of the role, his first priorities, and why this work matters for HFA students.
How would you describe what this position is meant to do? What’s the work, in your own words?
The associate dean for careers, professional pathways, and innovation will help HFA build a more coherent and ambitious approach to preparing students for life after graduation. In practical terms, that means strengthening career services, expanding experiential learning, developing partnerships with employers and alumni, and helping students connect their academic experiences to meaningful professional opportunities.
I see the role as both strategic and collaborative. It is not simply about maintaining existing services; it is about building sustainable systems that integrate advising, academic planning, career development, internships, co-op opportunities, leadership development, and student well-being. Students should encounter career preparation as an integral part of their HFA experience, rather than as something separate from their education.
Why does this role matter for HFA students right now?
Students, both undergraduates and graduates, are entering a rapidly changing economy, and they need both the intellectual foundation provided by a humanities and fine arts education and clear opportunities to apply that education in the world. HFA students develop skills in communication, creativity, critical thinking, cultural understanding, research, collaboration, and problem-solving. Those abilities are highly valuable, but we also have a responsibility to help students recognize, articulate, and translate them into opportunities.
This work is especially important now because students and families understandably want to see how a college education connects to a fulfilling and sustainable future. HFA has an opportunity to lead the university in demonstrating the continuing relevance and strength of the humanities and fine arts.
What are your first priorities?
My first priority will be to listen and learn from students, faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and existing campus partners. I want to understand what is already working well, where the gaps are, and where the college can have the greatest impact.
I also want to help advance the proposed HFA Student Success Center, particularly its work connecting advising, career preparation, experiential learning, well-being, and equity. Other early priorities will include strengthening relationships with employers and alumni, expanding internship and other experiential-learning opportunities, and developing clear ways to assess the effectiveness of our efforts. We should be ambitious, but also data-informed and outcomes-driven.
What existing work will you be building on—programs, partnerships, or people already doing this in the college?
There is already a great deal of important work happening across HFA and the university. I would build on the expertise of faculty and staff who are advising students, developing internships and community partnerships, supporting experiential learning, and helping students understand the professional possibilities connected to their disciplines.
The proposed Student Success Center provides an important foundation because it offers a framework for bringing these efforts into closer alignment. I would also look to strengthen partnerships with university career services, alumni and advancement networks, employers, community organizations, and other external partners. The goal is not to create parallel structures, but to connect and amplify the work already being done.
What have you learned as chair of LLC that you expect to carry into the dean’s office?
Serving as chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures has taught me the importance of listening carefully, communicating clearly, and building trust across different constituencies. Academic leadership requires balancing immediate operational needs with longer-term goals, while recognizing that durable progress depends on collaboration and shared purpose.
I have also learned that institutions work best when people understand how their individual efforts contribute to a larger mission. My experience in LLC, as well as in university governance and college-level planning, has helped me develop the ability to work across units, navigate complex structures, and move initiatives forward with both diplomacy and decisiveness.
Is there something about humanities and arts graduates and their careers that you think is misunderstood?
One persistent misunderstanding is that humanities and arts graduates are not well prepared for careers. In fact, they develop a powerful combination of analytical, creative, communicative, and interpersonal abilities. They learn how to interpret complex information, ask meaningful questions, understand different perspectives, communicate with varied audiences, and approach unfamiliar problems with imagination and rigor.
What students sometimes need is not a different education, but more structured opportunities to connect what they are learning to professional contexts. Internships, project-based learning, employer engagement, alumni mentoring, microcredentials, and thoughtful preparation for emerging technologies, including generative AI, can help students recognize the value of their education and communicate it confidently to employers.
What would you like faculty and staff to know about working with you in this role?
I hope faculty and staff will see me as a partner. The success of this work will depend on collaboration across departments, programs, advising, student services, alumni relations, and external partnerships. I welcome ideas, concerns, and constructive feedback, especially from colleagues who are closest to students and understand the distinctive needs of their disciplines.
I also want to emphasize that career preparation is not separate from the humanities and fine arts. It is part of our responsibility to help students thrive. Faculty and staff should not have to take this work on alone, but I hope we can develop structures and partnerships that make it easier to integrate professional pathways into the student experience.