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Lupe Davidson has been named dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA), effective July 1. Davidson is currently serving as the Provost Fellow for Faculty Recruitment and Hiring and as the Interim Director of the Public Administration Program at West Virginia University. 

The announcement was made in the email below, which was sent by Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Mike Malone on May 28.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Professor Maria del Guadalupe Davidson has been selected as the next Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, effective on July 1, 2024. 

She comes to the University of Massachusetts from West Virginia University where she is currently serving as the Provost Fellow for Faculty Recruitment and Hiring and as the Interim Director of the Public Administration Program. She is also an Associate Dean for Faculty and Woodburn Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Before moving to West Virginia, Davidson served at the University of Oklahoma where she was L.J. Semrod Presidential Professor, Chair of Women’s and Gender Studies, and co-director for the Center for Social Justice where she implemented several award-winning social justice programs.

Dr. Davidson earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science at St. Bonaventure University, master’s degrees in English and Communication Studies, and a doctorate in Rhetoric all from Duquesne University.

I am grateful to the HFA Dean Search Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Ana Maria Siega-Riz, Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences and Michelle Budig, Senior Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs, for their commitment and dedication to the process. 

I would also like to thank Professor Joye Bowman for her service as Interim Dean of HFA for the past year; I deeply appreciate her leadership and work on behalf of the College and the University. She will be returning to the Department of History as a member of the faculty.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Davidson to the UMass Amherst community.

Sincerely,

Mike Malone
Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs