Pitt's University Honors College appoints a new dean

Following a comprehensive search, Nicola Foote has been selected to head Pitt’s University Honors College (UHC), effective July 1, 2021.

Foote, a scholar of Latin American and Caribbean history who is currently vice dean of the honors college at Arizona State University (ASU), will also be a full professor in Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

In her announcement of the appointment, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd told colleagues that “Foote’s strong strategic leadership and deep dedication to serving and advocating for students, faculty and the broader community make her a truly wonderful fit for our University and the University Honors College.”

At ASU, Foote provided strategic leadership for the college across four campuses, overseeing 170 honors-only faculty and more than 2,000 affiliated faculty. Prior to ASU, she served as associate dean for university-wide programs and faculty engagement at Florida Gulf Coast University. While there, she was part of a presidentially appointed committee that created a diversity certificate for staff and faculty members which provided an opportunity for conversations about issues including ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability and race. Foote has won awards for her teaching, mentoring and administrative leadership and has led study abroad programs to Ecuador, China, Trinidad and other spots around the globe.

“The Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh has an outstanding and rich history of creating transformational learning opportunities for undergraduate students within an inclusive and holistic model of honors education,” said Foote. “I am delighted and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next dean and very much look forward to working with the University community to lead the Honors College in continued excellence and innovation. I am especially excited to work with the incredible student body within the Honors College and to support their success as scholars and leaders.”

Foote is a scholar with research interests in race and state formation in Ecuador, Caribbean migration to South America, histories of reproductive health care access in Florida and human-animal relations in the Galapagos Islands. She holds a PhD in history from University College London, a master’s degree from the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of London and a bachelor’s degree in history of the Americas, also from University College London.

Said Cudd: “Nicola’s collaborative style and enthusiasm, combined with her outstanding academic experience, commitment to interdisciplinarity, a track record of innovation, proven accomplishments in building sustained community partnerships, success in fundraising, and dedication and achievements in centering global perspectives with undergraduate education will inform a bright path forward.”