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Dear Members of the Campus Community,

It gives me great pleasure to name Elliott Visconsi ‘95, currently Associate Provost for Learning & Academic Innovation and Chief Academic Digital Officer at the University of Notre Dame and a proud 17�Թ��� class of 1995 alumnus, as our next Provost and Dean of the College, effective July 1. 

As the search process progressed, it became clear Elliott would be a relentless advocate for academic innovation and excellence in support of our core mission. His track record of collaborative academic innovation, cross-disciplinary experience in academic leadership, work on building effective, evidence-based, and engaging learning for students at all levels, and commitment to the principles of inclusive liberal arts education align with our vision for the role of Provost. At Notre Dame, he enabled colleagues to bring their creative ideas forward, empowered and supported their curiosity and intellectual risk-taking, built relationships based on trust and candor, and provided clarity of vision and transparency of process.

His understanding that diversity, equity and inclusion are deeply anchored in the College’s Jesuit identity and his work to make inclusive pedagogy a signature priority at Notre Dame were identified as assets. In addition, his personal connection to the College is unmistakable. Some of you might recognize Elliott’s name; he is a 1995 graduate and has credited his scholarly and professional formation directly to his experience at the College.  

Elliott has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, including as an assistant professor of English at Yale University and an associate professor of English and law at Notre Dame. He has overseen university-wide digital learning initiatives and has led the learning and academic innovation team since 2018. In 2019, he was recognized with the Dick and Peggy Notebaert Award for his pioneering work in conceiving and overseeing the successful implementation of the online master of science degree in data science, which served as a model for other disciplines across Notre Dame.

Visconsi's articles have appeared in leading scholarly journals such as Raritan, Representations, Law & Literature, and English Literary History; as well as in notable scholarly collections exploring the intersection of law and the humanities. His first book, “Lines of Equity,” was published by Cornell University Press in 2007. With Katherine Rowe (William & Mary) and in partnership with the Folger Shakespeare Library and Simon & Schuster, Elliott created a series of iPad applications to enable the effective study of Shakespeare's plays. He is currently completing a cultural history of religious pluralism in the seventeenth-century Anglo-American world entitled “Liberty, Stability & Gain,” and writing about the future of liberal education in the digital world for a broad audience. 

He has won distinguished fellowships from the Mellon Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies and has received awards for mentorship or teaching excellence from Notre Dame, Yale, and UCLA.

You can about Elliott’s background and experience and understand why he is an incredible fit for the College particularly at this time in our history as we embark on a new strategic plan with its primary focus on academic excellence.

While we celebrate Elliott’s arrival, I also want to acknowledge the tremendous support and leadership that our Interim Provost, Ann Marie Leshkowich, has provided to our community and leadership teams. Rather than simply serving to keep the trains running, Ann Marie has worked tirelessly to support improvements across academic affairs including reimagining staffing roles, documenting processes, advancing inclusive excellence and engaging in the work of shared governance. I am especially grateful for her academic leadership with our unexpectedly large entering class, critical faculty searches, and high number of tenure and promotion cases.  

I also extend my sincere thanks to the faculty, staff and students who participated and provided insightful feedback during the finalist visits, and to the provost’s office team as well for its continued dedication through this period of transition. Lastly, I am especially grateful to the search committee for their commitment, collective wisdom and thoughtfulness throughout this process. Members of the search committee included: 

• Stephenie Chaudoir, Speaker of the Faculty, Associate Professor of Psychology, Co-Chair

• Renee Beard, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology 

• Geoff Findlay, Associate Professor of Biology

• Ericka Fisher, Associate Professor of Education 

• Dottie Hauver, Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance 

• Timothy Joseph, AGC Member, Professor of Classics 

• Scott Malia, Associate Professor of Theatre 

• Michele Murray, Senior Vice President for Student Development and Mission, Dean of Students

• Tim O’Brien, S.J., Associate Vice President for Mission 

• Juan Ramos, Associate Professor of Spanish 

• Lorelle Semley, Dean of the Faculty, Professor of History 

• Tomicka Wagstaff, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

• Heather Hayes, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff

The success of the search was also the result of the committee’s highly effective partnership with Isaacson, Miller, a leader in helping to recruit transformational leaders that advance the public good.  

I am confident that Elliott’s leadership, in strong collaboration with our faculty, will ensure we reach new heights as we strive to offer a liberal arts education that is among the finest in the world.  Please join me in welcoming him (back) to 17�Թ���.

Sincerely,

Vincent D. Rougeau

President