Sent February 4, 2025

Dear academic and administrative leaders, 

I am thrilled to announce that Kate Morris will be the University of Oregon’s new Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, following a national search. 

Kate currently serves as vice provost for academic affairs at Santa Clara University, the oldest institution of higher learning in California, where she has also served as an acting provost for three years and as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

She is a professor of Art and Art History, with Ph.D. from Columbia University. She was an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University, prior to joining the faculty of Santa Clara University. 

In her new role at the University of Oregon, Kate’s portfolio will include curriculum and program development, the Teaching Engagement Program and UO Online.

She will oversee faculty personnel actions such as tenure, promotion, performance reviews, post-tenure review, and sabbaticals. She will also focus on the training and development of faculty members and academic leaders. 

Throughout her time at Santa Clara, Kate has advanced effective policies for supporting faculty of all ranks and appointment types, at every stage of their careers.  

During her tenure as an acting provost, she assumed responsibility for recruitment, appointment, and promotion of faculty, helping the university make steady progress in diversifying the faculty ranks and refining institutional processes to include discipline-specific standards for scholarship and teaching. 

She demonstrated a commitment to shared governance – serving in the faculty senate and chairing the faculty affairs and academic affairs policy committees. She also helped navigate the formation of the non-tenure-track faculty union, and the successful negotiation of its first collective bargaining agreement. 

She helped create community on campus through shared academic experiences, including an Inclusive Excellence Postdoctoral Fellowships program, supporting young scholars from underrepresented backgrounds as they transition from graduate school to careers as full-time teaching scholars. Additionally, she launched Spark Seminars for Social Justice, a series of one-credit seminars taught by teams pairing an undergraduate teacher with a member of university leadership, and she revitalized Santa Clara’s Residential Learning Communities and its community reading program.  

As a professor of art history, Kate has taught a broad spectrum of courses in Indigenous and contemporary art. Her courses are designed to be academically rigorous and relevant, expanding students’ cultural understanding and critical skills. 

Kate is a thoughtful, intentional leader with a long and distinguished academic career, and I look forward to collaborating with her as we continue to nurture a culture of trust on campus and implement our Oregon Rising strategic plan.

I want to thank the members of the search committee, which included members of the faculty, staff, and academic leadership. 

Please join me in welcoming Kate to her new role at the University of Oregon. She will begin her duties on June 15.

Sincerely, 

Christopher P. Long 

Provost and Senior Vice President