The Harvard Graduate School of Education is pleased to announce the appointments of Framingham State University President Javier Cevallos and Amherst College President Biddy Martin as Presidents-in-Residence for the 2022–23 school year.
“We’re excited to have two such accomplished leaders joining us,” says Francesca Purcell, senior lecturer and faculty co-chair of the Higher Education Concentration. “The landscape of higher education encompasses such a range of institutions and the leadership experiences each of these presidents are bringing really reflects that diversity.”
Cevallos and Martin will join higher education master’s students in the residential and online programs for discussions about and reflections on leadership in higher education and the contemporary challenges in the field. They will also serve as advisers and provide mentorship to students looking to pursue careers in higher education.
“Our students all have the potential to be incredible leaders, and the Presidents-in-Residence have always helped bring that out,” says Purcell, who co-leads the HGSE’s new Higher Education Concentration with Lecturer Alexis Redding. “[Cevallos and Martin] are incredibly thoughtful and approachable — they’ll connect authentically with students to help them think about what impactful leadership looks like.”
With a deep and long history at public institutions of higher education, Cevallos has worked to bring a global perspective to campus, most recently at Framingham State University where he created partnerships with universities in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Brazil. Throughout his career, he has worked to increase enrollment, diversity, and school selectivity while nimbly aligning resources with school mission.
“I’m honored to receive this appointment from the Harvard Graduate School of Education,” says Cevallos. “While my time as a university president is coming to an end, my passion for public higher education remains. I look forward to mentoring the next generation of leaders and discussing ways to address the range of challenges facing higher education.”
Martin, too, has a storied career in higher education. She has served as the 19th president of Amherst College since 2011 and previously held the positions of chancellor at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Cornell University’s longest-serving provost. Her accomplishments include implementing sweeping financial aid initiatives; significantly increasing student and faculty diversity; implementing an ambitious, achievable Climate Action Plan; spearheading and completing the most important, award-winning set of capital projects in the recent history of the College; developing an anti-racism plan with actions, metrics and regular updates; modernizing the administrative function of the College; and increasing the stature of humanities research and education.
Martin is looking forward to continuing the discussion of some of these challenges. “I relish the opportunity for intellectual exchange with students and faculty in the Ed School and across the university,” she says.
And this intellectual exchange, between leaders in the field and current students, has always helped spark inspiration and deepen learning. “Helping students focus on equity and on making meaningful impact has always been a threaded throughout the higher education programs at HGSE,” says Purcell. “These two leaders will really help reinforce that and inspire students with their experiences.”
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