Maud Mandel (born June 14, 1967) is an American historian and academic administrator. She is the 18th and current President of Williams College, the first woman to hold that role.[1] Mandel was previously a Professor of History and Judaic Studies and Dean of the College at Brown University. She specialises in twentieth-century French history, with a particular focus on the interaction of Muslim, Jewish, and Armenian communities in France.[2] She is the daughter of Ruth Mandel who was the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
Maud S. Mandel | |
---|---|
18th President of Williams College | |
Assumed office July 1, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Protik Majumder (interim) |
Personal details | |
Born | June 14, 1967 |
Parent | Ruth Mandel (mother) |
Education | Oberlin College University of Michigan |
Academic work | |
Discipline | History Judaic Studies |
Sub-discipline | French history, Jewish history, Islamic–Jewish relations |
Institutions | Brown University |
Mandel received her BA in English from Oberlin College in 1989.[3] In 1993, she received an MA from the University of Michigan, followed in 1998 by a PhD in Modern Jewish History from the same institution.[4]
In 1997, she joined the Brown faculty as a visiting assistant professor in the History department.
Mandel's scholarship focuses on ethnic and religious minorities in twentieth-century France. She has written about immigration, nationalism, integration, and inter-ethnic relations. Mandel has particularly emphasized the Muslim, Jewish, and Armenian communities in France and has investigated how these groups interact with each other and with broader society.
Mandel became a full member of the faculty in 2001, served as chair of the Judaic studies program from 2012-2014,[5] and was named a full professor in 2014.[6]
In June 2014, Mandel was named Dean of the College.[7] In this role, she prioritized Brown's advising programs and the development of skills through the undergraduate curriculum.[4] Specific projects led by Mandel include establishment of the Brown Learning Collaborative that stresses liberal arts competencies teaching "through a peer-to-peer approach," 1stY@Brown online coursework that prepares incoming students for undergraduate curriculum rigors, and overseeing the opening of the First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center.[8]
On March 11, 2018, Mandel was selected to be the 18th president of Williams College.[9] Mandel assumed the position on July 1, 2018.