July 17, 2017

Colleagues,

There is important news to share about the Graduate School and the Robert D. Clark Honors College.

I am happy to inform you that Sara Hodges has accepted my offer to serve as interim dean of our Graduate School. As you are aware, Scott Pratt recently accepted the role of executive vice provost for academic affairs, creating the vacancy.

Sara has been associate dean since 2015, having served as director of graduate studies in psychology. Her work in the Graduate School has focused on facilitating students' success in graduate school and beyond. A social psychologist, Hodges has been carrying out research in perspective taking, empathy and social comparison.

This September, Terry Hunt, dean of the Clark Honors College, will depart the university for a new role as dean of the University of Arizona Honors College.

Since joining the University of Oregon in 2012, Hunt has made great progress in developing and elevating the Clark Honors College into one of the premier honors colleges in the nation.

Under Hunt’s leadership, the college earned a top 10 national ranking by Public University Honors, receiving a perfect 5/5 mortarboards, and essentially tying for the top spot.

In addition, Hunt expanded programs and experiential learning opportunities, and was key to the current remodeling of Chapman Hall, thanks to his work with donors and legislative leaders. The remodeled facility will provide a best-in-class learning environment for top-performing students at the university once complete in January 2018.

We will miss Terry, but his impact on the Clark Honors College will be felt for years to come. We will announce the interim dean for the honors college in a few weeks.

Please join me in congratulating Terry Hunt on his new role at the University of Arizona.

Please also join me in welcoming Sara Hodges as interim dean of the Graduate School.

Sincerely,

Jayanth Banavar