Jason Merchant, a national leader in higher education and vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Chicago, will be the new Searcy Family Dean of the College of Arts and Science, C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced today. An internationally renowned, award-winning professor in the field of linguistics, Merchant will also hold an endowed chair in philosophy at Vanderbilt.
Merchant succeeds Timothy P. McNamara, who as dean of the College of Arts and Science oversaw record milestones in fundraising, the implementation of a new Arts and Science College core curriculum, the expansion of pre-major advising, a reorganization and strengthening of the humanities departments, and the initial planning of a collaborative research building on the site of Stevenson 6. McNamara, a professor of psychology and cognitive scientist, will return to the faculty on June 30.
“Jason Merchant is an exceptionally creative, deep thinker and a strategic academic leader. He has a powerhouse track record of fostering excellence across faculty affairs, research, teaching and service, and we’re thrilled that he’s bringing those stellar assets and ideas to lead Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science,” Raver said. “He brings a deep understanding of the central role the liberal arts play in advancing discovery and preparing students to innovate and lead in the 21st century. Jason’s collaborative approach and dedication will propel the College of Arts and Science forward and will position it to thrive in the years ahead.”
Drawing upon his has extensive experience in shaping undergraduate core curriculum and strengthening institutional values of freedom of expression, Merchant will work shoulder to shoulder with Raver and Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and play a pivotal role in defining liberal arts education in the 21st century.
Merchant will foster interdisciplinary partnerships that deepen Arts and Science’s collaborations across Vanderbilt’s 11 schools, external organizations and global institutions. He will outline a vision for transformative research and education at Arts and Science that positions it as a catalyst for discovery, service and impact. Driving this work will be his respect for a culture of scholarship that aims to generate knowledge for the benefit of society.
“Jason Merchant is a scholar of the highest caliber and a committed champion of the principles and standards that must define the modern university,” Diermeier said. “His deep expertise in linguistics is matched by his broad record of building excellence as an administrator. Jason is the ideal, values-driven leader for our largest college and will be instrumental in defining liberal arts education for the age of technology. His appointment is powerful proof that Vanderbilt is becoming the destination of choice for the world’s most talented faculty, students and staff.”
Merchant has demonstrated staunch advocacy for the undergraduate student experience, for graduate education, and for retaining and recruiting world-class faculty.
As vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Chicago, he has overseen a vast portfolio that includes undergraduate and graduate education, the faculty continuum from hiring to tenure promotion to retirement, and sensitive administrative needs, including the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Merchant has spent more than two decades on the faculty of the University of Chicago, where he is the Lorna P. Straus Distinguished Service Professor of linguistics. He has extensive experience teaching and developing curriculum and believes strongly that a liberal arts core helps students increase their capacity to learn, grow and become engaged and educated citizens.
He is also a linguistics scholar who works at the intersection of syntax, morphology and semantics. He’s an influential voice on ellipsis—how meaning can survive when linguistic form is missing.
“I am honored and excited to be joining a college renowned for the field-defining scholarship of its faculty, its deep commitment to innovative teaching and mentoring in its undergraduate and graduate programs, its extraordinary and spirited students, and its outstanding staff,” Merchant said. “I am eager to join Vanderbilt at a defining moment in its history, as it sets the bar for higher education in the country and the world.”
Merchant’s selection was conducted by a search committee of Arts and Science faculty, university leaders, staff and a graduate student, in partnership with Isaacson, Miller, an executive search firm with deep expertise in higher education.
