Nicole Sampson, professor of chemistry, was named University Provost January, effective Feb. 1.
Sampson was the interim provost at UR prior to being formally instated, and served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University in Long Island.
Sampson will continue as a chemistry professor alongside her new role, which, she says, will allow her to keep in touch with issues directly affecting faculty.
“As a research institution we are often under scrutiny because we are held to such a high educational standard,” Sampson wrote in email correspondence with the Campus Times. “My approach, and the approach of the institution, is to focus on our mission and values, and make sure that our actions are aligned with them and with the law.”
Sampson explained that both herself and her office are prepared to handle the nuanced political climate and ready to respond to executive orders pertaining to DEI, Title IX, and student visas.
However, Sampson stated that, as of now, it is a waiting game.
“We’ve all seen how quickly things can change,” Sampson said. “[We will have] to see how the courts evaluate litigation about the executive orders that come to them.”
In a press statement released by her office, Sampson outlined her main goals as provost, specifically highlighting her focus on funding faculty research and developing transdisciplinary research centers.
Sampson also plans on changing the academic budget model. Her plan would redirect funds from her office to initiatives that may not otherwise generate a lot of financial resources through their own activities.
“I will be looking to our deans of Arts and Sciences, and Eastman School of Music as academic leaders to further shape the future of the humanities and social sciences,” she explained.
Sampson explained that transdisciplinary research is not reserved for the sciences and can impact the humanities as well. There have already been transdisciplinary center proposals from the humanities and the performing arts that were funded as seed grants.
The most vocal supporters of the new budget come from The Humanities Center and the Eastman School of Music.
Sampson told the CT that her biggest priority is to update physical infrastructure on the University’s River and Eastman campuses.
“By updating and modernizing our physical spaces — from practice rooms to classrooms and labs — we will enhance the student and faculty experiences,” she said. “[This will] ensure that we continue to provide the caliber of academic excellence that everyone expects and deserves from an institution like [the] University of Rochester.”
