Richard Saller to take over as interim president in September

Richard Saller, professor of European Research and former dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, will take over as interim president of Stanford College efficient beginning September, after President Marc Tessier-Lavigne’s resignation goes into impact on Aug. 31. The appointment was authorized by the Board of Trustees on July 17. 

Tessier-Lavigne introduced his resignation Wednesday, following a Stanford-sponsored investigation into the President’s widely-cited papers discovered manipulated analysis. 

In accordance with Saller, his service as interim president will “inevitably be restricted.” Nonetheless, he wrote in an e mail to The Every day that he “goals to assist Stanford’s excellence in analysis and instructing” whereas fulfilling the function. 

At present, Saller is the Lkeinheinz Household Professor of European Research at Stanford and teaches Roman historical past. From 2007 to 2018, Saller served because the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences. Earlier than Stanford, he taught and served as provost on the College of Chicago. He hopes his time as dean at Stanford will function a “foundation of belief and confidence with the college,” Saller wrote.  

Belief that’s well-deserved, stated Adrienne Jamieson, public coverage professor and director of Stanford in Washington. Jamieson wrote in an e mail to The Every day that as dean, Saller was an “distinctive chief.”

In an e mail to the scholar physique Wednesday, Board of Trustees chair Jerry Yang wrote Saller “spearheaded a marketing campaign [as dean] to strengthen humanities training and enhance enrollment in humanities programs.” 

Jamieson echoed Yang in praising the initiatives Saller crafted and added that he did so “by means of the power of nice management, a deep understanding of the Stanford neighborhood and the complete confidence and respect of college and college students.”

Saller wrote that he’s fostered a relationship with college students by means of instructing Roman historical past yr after yr. His college students have praised his data, sympathy and curiosity in pupil life. 

Fiona Clunan ’24, who’s Saller’s thesis advisee, grew to become acquainted with him by means of an abroad seminar he co-led in Florence. 

He’s “a kind of professors with a thoughts like an encyclopedia,” Clunan stated. Nonetheless, she added that he’s not solely an excellent teacher, however “is definitely extremely form and at all times prepared to assist.” 

At the same time as a college member, Clunan stated Saller has at all times been actually within the state of pupil life on campus and believes that he’ll match the interim president function nicely. 

“I believe he has real look after the scholar expertise and I’m hopeful that he’ll work to enhance it whereas serving as president,” she wrote in an e mail to The Every day. 

Senan Khawaja ’24 hopes that the interim president “will take concrete motion to handle the widespread considerations amongst the scholar physique and the decadent enhance of forms on campus.”

Saller will formally take over as interim president firstly of September. In accordance with Yang, the Board will appoint a search committee within the coming weeks to pick out the College’s subsequent president. 

Saller wrote that he’s making ready for this function by assembly with “previous and current leaders of the College.” 

“Stanford College is a large operation with a $9 billion finances — about 10 instances bigger than the primary Roman emperor Augustus had for the entire empire,” Saller wrote. “I’ve a steep studying curve forward of me.”