Meet the new dean

Anthropology helped prepare Elizabeth Chilton for her new position as dean of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences.

“A dean of a college is an academic leader, not just an administrator or a manager,” Chilton says.

Chilton became Harpur College’s 10th dean in July after spending the past three years as associate vice chancellor for research and engagement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She was a member of the UMass Amherst faculty since 2001, served as chair of the Anthropology Department for six years and spent two years as associate dean for research and programs for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

“The position of dean of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences is a key one for Binghamton University,” President Harvey Stenger says. “Elizabeth’s strong background working across disciplines will serve her well as she takes on the leadership of our largest and most academically diverse school.”

As an undergraduate at the University at Albany, Chilton says she tried to find a balance of scientific method and humanistic expression.

“To me, anthropology is that perfect marriage,” says Chilton, who specializes in New England archaeology. “You use scientific techniques — excavating, collecting and analyzing data — but there is so much that is qualitative — understanding human behavior and cultural expres- sion across time and space. It sits in the middle of the spectrum between the natural sciences, and the humanities and fine arts.

“That’s not to say that I know everything about the disciplines in the college,” she adds. “Not by a long shot. But I’ve done a lot of interdisci- plinary research and collaborative scholarship with ecologists, historians and artists. They all have different ways of knowing and different ways of approaching the production of knowledge.”

THE LURE OF HARPUR COLLEGE

Born and raised on Long Island, Chilton is a first-generation college student who received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University at Albany and her master’s and doctorate in anthropology from UMass Amherst. She is one of five children in her family who earned college or professional degrees.

“My parents taught us the value of education even though they weren’t able to fully take advantage of it,” she says.

Chilton says that with the exception of five years teaching at Harvard University, public education has been her touchstone, from kindergarten to her professional career. It’s one of the reasons the Harpur College dean’s job was so appealing when it became open in 2016.

“What attracted me to Harpur College and Binghamton University is the value that is placed not just on the dissemination of knowledge, but the creation of knowledge,” she says. “When I saw that there was a large, public research university with an arts and sciences college that included everything from natural sciences, such as chemistry and biology, to fine arts, such as cinema, to the social sciences, to me it was my ideal position.”

MANY PEOPLE, ONE GOAL

For Chilton, building and maintaining a sense of community is important for Harpur College.

She knows that a lot of “face time” is needed with students, faculty, staff and alumni.

“I’m a strong believer in getting all of the department chairs together,” she says. “My intention is to meet all of them individually and as a group. I plan to go out to each of the department meetings and meet faculty, students and staff.”

Chilton also hopes to lead a book club or seminar “so I can meet students up close and personal. They get to know me, but I also get to hear what is pressing from their point of view. What can Harpur do better? It’s about getting people together and communicating.”

Alumni will also play a major role in Harpur’s success, Chilton says, as the relevance and value of the liberal arts have been questioned on the national level in recent years.

“Our alumni can help us make the case for the importance of liberal arts,” she says. “They can show what they have done with their lives. They can come back and share their experiences with our students to try to break through the national narrative that devalues what it is that we do.”

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

One of Chilton’s top priorities will be retaining new faculty members.

“Retaining strong faculty is not only about supporting research and their teaching, but thinking about the other factors that make people want to be here,” she says.

In the Anthropology Department at UMass Amherst, Chilton initiated a “mutual mentoring program” in which a new faculty member was assigned a peer mentor and senior mentor. While the new faculty member supplied new knowledge, techniques and experiences, the group could also discuss key elements of life outside the university, such as where to live, community activities and childcare.

“It helped them integrate and build a sense of belonging more quickly than if we said, ‘Figure it out for yourself,’” she says.

Chilton also believes that Harpur College should examine its curriculum and determine what new skills liberal arts students need to succeed in

the 21st century. She recalls a meeting with an alumnus who said he wished that every student entering the work force knew how to use Excel.

“I thought it was an important statement,” she says. “Whether you are an art history major or a biology or sociology major, you may be asked to pull some data together, do some research or make a report in your first job. There are basic skills like that, along with excellence in writing and communication, that all students need.”

HARPUR’S HEART

Chilton’s undergraduate experiences will sound familiar to some Harpur College students: She transferred to the University at Albany from Vassar College and changed her major from math to anthropology.

“I’ve thought about the times right after college when I had my first job at the New York State Museum,” she says. “I was making $6 an hour trying to live in [Albany]. I was eating mac and cheese — five boxes for $1 — while living downtown.

“It gives me good perspective because I remember those days, and I realize some of our students will struggle when they are first out of school and don’t necessarily see a clear path. Life is not a clear or straight path.”

In the meantime, Chilton says she is impressed with the dedication of Harpur College’s students, faculty, staff and alumni.

“There is a strong commitment to the (college),” she says. “I think it is because Harpur College is at the historical core of the University. It’s really the heart of Binghamton University.”