Earlham College’s next provost and vice president of academic affairs will be Dr. Tara Natarajan, currently the dean of the faculty at St. Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont. The first person of color to serve in the position, Natarajan will be part of the most diverse cabinet in Earlham's history, which is also the first to be majority women.
“Tara has demonstrated a commitment to innovative leadership in the areas of academic excellence and student success throughout her career,” Earlham President Dr. Anne Houtman said. “As dean, she has been at the forefront of St. Michael’s DEI work in academic affairs along with oversight of grant acquisitions and COVID-era advances that have become essential in modern higher education.”
Natarajan has been at St. Michael’s in 2001, when she began her career as an assistant professor of economics, later earning tenure in 2007 and chairing the economics department from 2016 to 2019. She holds a bachelor’s from Sophia College in Bombay, India; a master’s in economics from the University of Bombay, India; and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
