Provost Michelle McCauley will step down from her role as executive vice president and provost of Middlebury College at the end of the current academic year, according to an announcement made by President Ian Baucom on January 22. McCauley’s last day in the position will be June 30, after which she will take a sabbatical and consider future opportunities, either at another institution or by returning to teaching and research at Middlebury.
President Baucom acknowledged McCauley’s contributions to the college, stating, “I want to express my deep gratitude to Michelle for her exceptional service to Middlebury both as a close advisor to me from the moment I was appointed as president and as a leader who has stepped up to do what is best for Middlebury time and again. Throughout her career, Michelle has continually accepted new challenges without hesitation, even in the most trying of circumstances, doing so with steadiness and deep care for our people and our mission.”
McCauley joined Middlebury in 1995 as a professor of psychology. Her academic work focused on applying psychological theory to societal issues such as legal decision-making, environmental policy, and eyewitness memory. She led Middlebury’s Conservation Psychology Lab and co-founded The Vermont Center for Behavioral Science Research on Climate and the Environment in 2021. That same year, she became the first director of the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, where she helped launch initiatives aimed at building community resilience through conflict transformation.
After serving in an interim capacity following the death of former Provost Jeff Cason, McCauley was officially named executive vice president and provost in 2024. During her tenure, she worked on several key projects including supporting faculty research and teaching efforts. In response to higher-than-usual enrollments after the pandemic, McCauley led a program that sent first-year students to Copenhagen to help address campus housing shortages. She also co-chaired a task force on artificial intelligence that brought together members from across the college community.
Following last fall’s decision by President Baucom and the Board of Trustees to end residential graduate programs in Monterey, McCauley took charge of managing the transition process for MIIS students completing their degrees.
A national search will be conducted for McCauley’s successor. President Baucom concluded his message by saying: “Please join me in deeply thanking her for all she has done for Middlebury and wishing her well as she explores this next chapter of her career.”
