Over the summer, Dickinson officially welcomed the new Provost and Dean of College, Renée Cramer. Provost Cramer has had a very diverse background in education, law, politics and authorship. In regards to how she found this position at Dickinson, she explained that she wasn’t necessarily looking to leave her deputy provost position at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. However, when Dickinson recruiters reached out, she realized that this would be a “challenging and fun” position “at a tremendously strong school with excellent students, faculty and staff; with the opportunity to do meaningful work.” throughout her time here.
When asked about suggestions to first year students, she said “Sit outside, take long walks and enjoy being in a community with each other,” converging her admiration of the college experience, with her passion for the Dickinson and Carlisle community. She herself enjoys the fall weather, “sitting on a bench or a red Adirondack,” hearing “snippets of conversation about school work and plans for the weekend” and having a cappuccino outside of the Quarry.
With Provost Cramer’s accomplished background in law, policy and political science, she is highly motivated to work within Dickinson’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, and Sustainability programs. Yet, these issues go deeper than just academia for Cramer. She said being “one of seven kids across two blended families to attend college” and growing up in a working class family has made her passionate about “making sure the power of a liberal arts education at Dickinson is available to all students”. She believes that her position and background in leadership in education has prepared her to ask “questions that help us focus our work on being justice-oriented, inclusive and open to challenging norms that don’t serve our students, faculty, and staff.”
Provost Cramer turns to her personal passions for sustainability and inclusion as part of her motivation to live a more sustainable and equitable life, citing her excitement in exploring Dickinson’s College Farm, Farmers Market, and continuing her work in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion with Chief Diversity Officer Tony Boston. Cramer also finds herself wanting to spread the positive impacts of Dickinson’s liberal arts education in its totality, hoping “to see us speak with even more authority about the terrific way a Dickinson education prepares students for the lives they go on to lead”.
Provost Cramer was one of more than seventy applicants in the pool for this position, and when asked what made her stand out, she hoped that the Application Committee and President Jones saw her “transformative power” and “building [of] interdisciplinary programs and contributing to faculty success,” as well as the right communal vibe, “energetic, disciplined without being rigid, traditional without being staid and open to new ideas”.
As a final question, Cramer answered “Leo’s or Massey’s?” Though seemingly open to either, Massey’s coffee cake cone stole the show, opening Cramer’s Carlisle experience up on a sweet note.
