Columbia U. Names First Black Woman College Dean: NEW YORK – Columbia University’s new college dean is the first Black and the first woman to serve in the post.
The university said Friday it appointed Michelle Moody-Adams, a philosopher, as dean of Columbia College. She succeeds retiring dean Austin Quigley on July 1.
Moody-Adams is the former vice provost for undergraduate education at Cornell University in Ithaca. She has also taught philosophy at Indiana University, the University of Rochester and Wellesley College.
“Professor Moody-Adams’ extraordinary commitment to teaching, scholarship and public service, as well as her hands-on experience as an academic administrator for undergraduate education, make her uniquely well suited to this new challenge,” said President Lee Bollinger in a statement.
Moody-Adams received a bachelor’s degree from both Wellesley College and Oxford University and a master’s and doctorate in philosophy from Harvard University. She is the author of Fieldwork in Familiar Places: Morality, Culture, and Philosophy.
