Claude Steele, executive vice chancellor and provost (EVCP) at the University of California, Berkeley, is stepping down from his post. He will remain at the university as a professor of psychology.
In a letter to the campus community, Dr. Steele stated:
“Alas, my wife’s ongoing health challenges remain quite significant, and this is simply not a time in our lives where I can afford to further sacrifice our time together. The choice has thus become clear: I can no longer offer UC Berkeley the time and level of commitment it needs from its EVCP, while at same time being a part of my family in the way I want to be.”
Claude Steele was appointed executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, Berkeley in 2014. From 2011 to 2014, he was dean of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Before becoming dean at Stanford, Professor Steele served for two years as provost at Columbia University in New York City. Steele was a member of the Stanford psychology faculty from 1991 to 2009. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty in 1991, he taught at the University of Utah, the University of Washington, and the University of Michigan.
Professor Steele is perhaps best know for his work on the underperformance of minority students due to stereotype threat. He is the author of several books including Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (W.W. Norton, 2010).
Professor Steele is a graduate of Hiram College in Ohio and earned a Ph.D. at Ohio State University.
