Provost Kirk, as chief academic officer and dean of the faculty, is responsible for the planning, development and delivery of the Colleges’ educational programs and services. The Provost works with the faculty on curricular management and operations, supports faculty initiatives and development, and supervises academic support offices and centers of the Colleges. Provost Kirk started at the Colleges in June 2021.
Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Development
Associate Provost Metz provides support for faculty affairs and development for the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs. He oversees new faculty orientation, faculty development, and supports department/program chairs. He serves as the primary contact for faculty members regarding developmental and procedural matters; and works with various institutional offices to assist with grantsmanship and other faculty support services. Metz is a tenured member and Associate Professor of the Geoscience Department and has been at the Colleges since 2011.
Associate Provost, Academic Faculty Affairs and Strategic Development
Associate Provost Pliner serves as Dean First-Year Academic Programs and Dean of Graduate Programs, supporting faculty in advising, course development, and building inclusive learning environments. She oversees the following experiential academic centers: Center for Teaching and Learning, Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, Centennial Center for Leadership, and Bozzuto Center for Entrepreneurship. Additionally she facilitates transfer articulation agreements, reporting on institutional effectiveness and serves as Disability Coordinator for Faculty, Co-Chair of Retention Task Force, transfer articulation agreements and reporting on institutional effectiveness.Pliner teaches in Educational Studies, First-Year Seminar Program, Master’s in Management, and the Master's in Higher Education Leadership and has been at HWS since 2006.
New York Six Mellon Academic Leadership Fellow and Special Assistant to the Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In this two-year position, Associate Professor Walker will work with OAFA, the VP of DEI, and various offices across campus to develop and implement projects that support diversity, equity, and inclusion at the colleges. To that end, Professor Walker will engage in assessment, research, policy writing, and program implementation, with a focus on faculty experience and recruitment/hiring. As a mentee in the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs, Professor Walker will also learn the principles of academic administration at the Colleges and in higher education more broadly.
Assistant Provost Weaver supports the Provost and the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs on faculty personnel matters, including the maintenance of faculty compensation, planning, and budgeting. She also maintains official records on the faculty regarding hiring, tenure and promotion, emeriti status, community service, faculty salaries, faculty bylaws, and sabbatical and leave requests as well as coordinates materials for staffing plans, enrollment management, and endowment reports. Weaver has been at the Colleges since 2007.
As the Assistant to the Provost, Furgeson is responsible for the operational budget including faculty travel and research grants of the Office and for course evaluations for First-Year Seminars and the Bidisciplinary Programs. She serves as the office manager and scheduler for the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs and assists the Provost with endowment and grant management. Additionally, she supervises the Academic Department Coordinators. Furgeson has been at the Colleges since 2018.
2025-26 FACULTY PRIZE RECIPIENTS
Faculty Prize in Teaching
Associate Professor of Chemistry Christine de Denus
