Last Friday, President Safa Zaki announced that Professor of Natural Sciences and Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment and Student Advising Rachel Beane will be the College’s next senior vice president and dean for academic affairs. Beane will begin her new role on July 1, as Jen Scanlon is set to depart from the position at the conclusion of the 2025–2026 academic year.

In her email to the College community, Zaki praised Beane’s leadership and scholarship.

“Throughout the search process, many faculty and staff shared with the committee their deep admiration for [Beane]’s judgment, her fairness, her collaborative leadership style, and her steady commitment to Bowdoin’s academic mission,” Zaki wrote.

Beane first joined the College in 1998 as an assistant professor in what is now the Department of Earth and Oceanographic Science (EOS). Her research focuses on analyzing minerals to interpret earth processes, and she has taught EOS courses ranging from introductory lectures to an elective on volcanoes.

Beane served as an associate dean twice during her time at the College, first as an associate dean for faculty development and currently as an associate dean for faculty recruitment and student advising. Additionally, she previously served as acting director of the Baldwin Center for Teaching and Learning. She described how these experiences have helped her develop connections with students and faculty as well as an understanding of Bowdoin’s academic culture that she will bring to her new role.

“Working with the faculty and academic staff, getting to know people, developing relations, that’s really the foundation to a leadership position, and it’s just a privilege to have been able to do that,” Beane said. “Listening to, representing and supporting faculty and academic staff is the role…. This means collaboratively working with people, and that’s something I really enjoy.”

To Beane, listening and collaboration are key to leadership, both in the classroom and in the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs.

“I’m looking forward to this. I love Bowdoin. I’ve been here since 1998, and I’ve served in a variety of roles, and they are all important, and they are all part of this really special learning community,” Beane said.