Marcella David has been named senior vice president and provost at Columbia College in Chicago. She will assume her new duties on June 3, 2019. She will also hold a faculty appointment in the business and entrepreneurship department.
Currently, Professor David serves as the Betty T. Ferguson Visiting Professor of Law at Florida State University. Previously, she served as the chief academic officer at Florida A&M University. Earlier in her career, Professor David held various roles at the University of Iowa including associate dean of the College of Law and special assistant to president for equal opportunity and diversity. She has also served as a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the University of Chicago Law School, as well as a Ford Foundation Fellow in International Law at Harvard Law School.
“I am honored to become Columbia’s next provost,” said Professor David. “The college has a distinguished faculty and a rich history of helping students master creative practice in the context of a rigorous liberal arts education. As someone who is passionate about the arts, I feel a deep connection with Columbia and its programs. I also am very impressed with Columbia’s holistic diversity initiatives, which I believe will be transformative.”
Professor Davis is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where she majored in computer science and systems engineering. She holds a juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.
As a Columbia alumnus and MFA student, I welcome this well educated woman . I hope she can help the schools diverse population work better together and institute more women’s programs
I was first hired at the University of Iowa by Marcella David when she was the special assistant to the president for equal opportunity and diversity. She is an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful leader and an amazing boss! Columbia College is fortunate to have her as their Provost!