William Cohen, former chair of the English Department, has been appointed as new Associate Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Studies.
As the new school year approaches, this university has appointed a new associate provost and undergraduate studies dean.
William Cohen, a former professor and English department chair, started in the new position Aug. 17, according to a university news release. He replaces Donna Hamilton, who held the position for the past 12 years.
“It is with great pleasure I appoint Dr. Cohen to the role of Dean for Undergraduate Studies,” Senior Vice President and Provost Mary Ann Rankin said in a university news release. “His experience leading large, complex units on campus that provide critical service to the entire University of Maryland community makes him exceptionally qualified for this new role.”
Cohen was the English department chairman for the past three years and spent more than 20 years as an English professor at this university. He also served as the undergraduate studies director from 2006 to 2009.
“I’m honored to have been appointed to this role, which has oversight of a large number of programs that influence undergraduate education across the campus,” Cohen said. “The impact of the Office of Undergraduate Studies is felt in providing a wide range of special opportunities and programs that enhance and enrich the experience of many students.”
As he begins his tenure, Cohen — whose vision for undergraduate education involves a “culture where students are curious and learned and can explore the transformative potential of liberal arts” — said he has made it a goal to expand access to higher education for first-generation college students and those from lower-income families through more grants and funding.
Cohen said he also plans to take maximum advantage of the school’s location in the Washington metropolitan area and create numerous opportunities for internships, research, community service and collaborations with agencies and businesses.
“The university’s status as a flagship gives us a special responsibility for attracting the most academically talented students in the state and from around the world,” Cohen said. “I expect to collaborate with departments and colleges across the campus in developing programs that prepare them to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.”
His determination and ability to communicate and solve complex problems should make his goals realistic ones, said Kent Cartwright, the new English department chairman and Cohen’s former colleague.
“He has an unusual capacity to grasp an issue or a problem in all its complex details, to think imaginatively about solutions and to communicate these matters clearly and compellingly to others,” Cartwright said. “Professor Cohen is a thoughtful leader and a warm, engaged and approachable human being.”
In his time with the English department, Cohen helped lead the development of new living-learning programs, such as the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House and Carillon Communities, as well as plans for new certificate programs, including the establishment of the film studies major, creative writing minor and professional writing minor.
He also charged the Center for Literary and Comparative Studies with consolidating all academic programming within the English department, which “resulted in a new grant-making process open to undergraduate and graduate students, staff and tenure-track and professional-track faculty,” he said.
In academia, Cohen’s instruction has focused on British literature and Victorian-era culture. He has authored three books on the history of sexuality, the body, the senses and literary theory and is working on a fourth.
He has also taught classes that survey British literature from the 18th through 20th centuries, the history and theory of the novel, literature and film and literary criticism, he said.
Cohen confirmed he would no longer be directly involved with the English department upon assuming his duties as dean.
Despite the change in course, Cohen said he is eager to make connections and view collegiate education from a different perspective.
“The office works with thousands of students, faculty and staff, and it has an expansive network of connections among the different colleges and schools,” Cohen said. “I am excited to become familiar with all of these connections and to use them in support of the undergraduate studies mission.”
