Provost Peggy Agouris sent the following message to the campus community on Sept. 1, 2022. – Ed.

Dear William & Mary Community,

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of David A. Yalof, department head and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut, to the position of Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

Beginning in January 2023, David will serve as the chief advisor to the provost, reinforcing the impact of Academic Affairs leadership and expanding strategic thinking, especially in support of Vision 2026. The position offers opportunity for David to build on our institutional strengths to further the transformation of undergraduate and graduate education, advance innovative cross-university collaboration and to deliver a bold vision for the future of education at the university.

David will administer leadership and oversight of academic programs, curriculum, program planning and compliance, and will manage core academic functions of the university. He will also work closely with the Associate Provost of Faculty Affairs & Development to develop and implement policies and practices that further support and diversify the faculty, staff and students within the university’s academic programs. In advancing W&M’s research enterprise, David will also work closely with the Vice Provost for Research, and will liaise with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to advance William & Mary’s program initiatives.

David’s appointment marks a major stage of the reconfiguration of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs role. The former position that comprised Academic and Faculty Affairs was modified two years ago to combine Academic Affairs and International Affairs when it was held by Steve Hanson, reducing the number of vice provosts from three to two. This also led to the creation of the position of Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs & Development, which will be held by Pamela Eddy effective January 2023. The process of reorganization continued this summer as Teresa Longo accepted the position of Associate Provost for International Affairs in addition to her role as Executive Director of the Reves Center for International Studies. In these first two months, Teresa has been admirably and effectively consolidating the administration of international affairs at William & Mary.

The current configuration of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs role commits undivided attention to academic matters to the degree warranted at an institution of W&M’s size and complexity. David brings to the role and to William & Mary considerable expertise in academic planning, curriculum development and assessment, as well as his notable scholarship in constitutional law, presidential politics and American government. I encourage you to read the excellent W&M News story for greater detail about David’s career, publications and accomplishments.

Although David has spent a great deal of time in New England, he considers this appointment to be somewhat of a homecoming. David received both undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Virginia; it was here in the Commonwealth where he met and married his wife, Andrea ’88, who is a William & Mary alumna.

I encourage you all to join me in welcoming David and his family to his new, and old, home. I look forward to 2023 with great anticipation for the future of Academic Affairs at William & Mary.

Sincerely,

Peggy