William Acree has been named the inaugural vice dean of interdisciplinary initiatives and innovation, a new position to support and enhance collaborative research and education across Arts & Sciences.
Acree, currently associate vice dean of graduate education and a professor of Spanish, begins the new role on October 1. To ensure a smooth transition, he will continue to work on essential projects with the Office of Graduate Studies. Acree will remain co-director of the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures, a signature initiative of the Arts & Sciences Strategic Plan.
In his new role, Acree will collaborate with Arts & Sciences’ vice deans and academic leaders on special interdisciplinary research initiatives, new educational initiatives, and recognition opportunities for faculty involved in these efforts.
Feng Sheng Hu, the Richard G. Engelsmann Dean of Arts & Sciences and Lucille P. Markey Distinguished Professor, announced the creation of the position in August and launched a search committee led by Deanna Barch, vice dean of research.
“The vice dean of interdisciplinary initiatives and innovation will play a pivotal role in helping Arts & Sciences achieve its ambitious goals for academic distinction,” Hu said. “I have been so pleased to see the enthusiasm among our faculty for creative, collaborative scholarship. I am committed to providing the resources they need to succeed in these transformative pursuits.”
Acree has a strong track record of spearheading innovative transdisciplinary collaborations. Working with Betsy Sinclair, he has co-directed one of Arts & Sciences’ most successful strategic plan initiatives, the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures. The program awarded funding to eight multi-year faculty research clusters and five programmatic teams in 2022 and, in less than two years, seven of these teams have secured significant external funding and garnered national visibility.
His work in the Office of Graduate Studies also resulted in the development of A&S CREATES, a unique transdisciplinary experience for incoming doctoral students. The program, launched this fall, establishes a cross-departmental learning community, supercharged possibilities for research collaboration, and a platform for graduate students to translate their scholarly research for new audiences.
“Billy has been at the forefront of some of our most inspiring interdisciplinary initiatives,” Hu said. “He has galvanized support for these innovative projects and highlighted the ambition and talent of our school at the national level. I am thrilled he accepted this position, and I look forward to seeing how our collaborative ventures grow under his leadership.”
“I am so honored to have been selected for this new position,” Acree said. “We face so many challenging research questions and learning opportunities that go beyond disciplinary boundaries and require bold thinking about the future of higher education. By embedding collaboration, creativity, and convergence into daily experiences and the core fabric of Arts & Sciences, we will be able to tackle such questions and lead the nation in interdisciplinary research and innovative learning opportunities.”
