Wellesley is excited to introduce Courtney Coile as the new provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College.
Coile came to the College as an assistant professor of economics in 2000 and rose to the rank of full professor in 2014, becoming the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Economics in 2022 and the Stanford Calderwood Professor of Economics earlier this year. She holds an A.B. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from MIT, and she researches the economics of aging and health with a particular focus on retirement and disability. Coile is also co-director of both the Retirement and Disability Research Center and the International Social Security Project at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
We asked Coile about bringing an economist’s eye to her new role, what she loves about Wellesley, and how she has been redecorating the provost’s office.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What is the role of the provost?
The provost is the College’s chief academic officer, so that means you have overall responsibility for the whole academic program: degree requirements, the hiring of faculty, setting tenure track positions, innovating curriculum, overseeing departments and courses, all of that. Of course, nobody does that alone. I work with two deans—Megan Núñez, dean of faculty affairs, and Michael Jeffries, dean of academic affairs—plus a whole team in the Office of the Provost, and we work really closely with academic department chairs.
Responsibility for the academic program is really the biggest piece of my work. I also have a seat at the table when big decisions are being made for the College, and so it’s my responsibility to represent the point of view of faculty members and really always be thinking about what’s best for the academic program when we’re having those conversations.
How will your experience as an economist inform the work you do as provost?
The way an economist thinks is actually really helpful for making the kind of strategic decisions I’m faced with every day in this office. As an institution we have to think about what we value, what constraints we face, and what choices we should be making to allow us to achieve our objectives within those constraints. There are obviously a lot of trade-offs when making big decisions, and thinking in terms of trade-offs is very natural to economists. I’m also really comfortable with numbers and data, and I think that’s helpful for understanding the budget and finance issues and making data-informed decisions.
What drew you to this position?
In 24 years as a faculty member, I have had a lot of service roles—as a lot of Wellesley faculty do—and I’ve always found this work really satisfying, because you get to work with others who share your commitment to the College’s mission. In the provost’s role, there can be a lot of challenges, but it’s also very satisfying to feel like you’re helping people solve problems and make progress on important issues. When you’re in an executive-type role, like the chair of a department or the provost, you have responsibility for looking at the landscape and figuring out the priorities and the best approach to make progress on those priorities. An important piece of that is bringing other people into the conversation, really listening to them and their point of view, and taking a multiplicity of perspectives into consideration.
What do you personally bring to the role?
As much as I think my economist tools are important, from a personal point of view, what I’m really trying to bring is my empathy and my good judgment to every conversation and every decision. Part of what you’re doing as an administrator is trying to clear away obstacles for other people so that they can do their best work. It can be really satisfying when you help someone solve a problem that was a big point of concern for them so they can just get back to doing the good stuff—their teaching, their research. There are a lot of strategic decisions to be made, and I want to approach those in a really thoughtful and even-handed way.
What specific items are on your agenda for your first year as provost?
Listening and learning is absolutely at the top of my list for this year. It’s been really fun over the summer to do some behind-the-scenes tours of campus facilities like the Botanic Gardens, our new Science Complex, and some of the renovated dorms. Now that the school year is starting up again, I’m beginning to meet with academic departments and groups of faculty to better understand their concerns and their ideas for the future. I’m also excited that the provost’s office is contributing to several College-wide initiatives, like Wellesley in the World and the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center programming.
Now that Andy Shennan has vacated the provost’s office in Green Hall after 20 years, how are you making the place your own?
I was told there could be an opportunity to have a historic desk, which I found very exciting—I thought I would feel like the president of the United States sitting behind the Resolute desk. It turned out that this desk that had belonged to President Margaret Clapp was available, and so I’m thrilled about that, and also from my window I can see Galen Stone Tower and Harris Courtyard. And the staff in Green Hall is so warm and welcoming! I feel very at home in my new office, even if my colleagues in the economics department jokingly gave me a “Green Hall Survival Kit” when I moved here from Pendelton.
How would you characterize Wellesley and its faculty?
Wellesley faculty are first and foremost teachers and mentors who have incredible commitment to student learning, but they’re also cutting-edge scholars who are pushing the frontier of knowledge forward with their scholarly and creative work. In addition, they are dedicated citizens who are really making the College better with their ideas and their vision.
What, in your mind, makes this place special?
This is a place where you can find your path, and you can find your confidence. This is a place that takes our students’ academic, intellectual, and career ambitions incredibly seriously. I’ve always appreciated how our faculty have very high standards for our students, which I think is born out of incredible respect for their abilities, setting the bar high and then providing all of the support that students need to meet those high expectations. That is really just the winning formula that allows our students to go out and do such incredible things in their lives beyond Wellesley. I think all Wellesley faculty members find it just incredibly rewarding to be part of the journey of our students.
Now for some rapid-fire questions for our community to get to know you better! How do you like to spend your free time?
Spending time with my family is obviously number one. I also love reading and exercising. I’m a runner, and I grew up playing soccer, so any time I can join a faculty/staff pickup game it is the highlight of my week.
What’s your favorite spot on campus?
Harris Courtyard.
What about your favorite place to get food in the Vil?
It’s a tie between Lockheart for tacos and J.P. Licks for ice cream.
Favorite musician or band?
Lake Street Dive!
Favorite book or author?
I’m kind of a sucker for Jane Austen.
If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go?
I’ve been lucky enough to go there many times, but I still feel like it would be Paris. My answer is always Paris.
What might people be surprised to learn about you?
I once got a shout-out in a student’s commencement speech! It was 2012, and the speaker, Haley Harris '12, was an amazing student, great at economics, but somehow our office hour conversations would always turn into talking about TV shows. She was so smart about how she thought about them, and she’s so witty and and intelligent that I would always say to her, you should be that person who inserts those really smart references, the ones that almost go by too quickly to hear. We talked about her interest in pursuing a career in TV writing, and to my surprise, in her speech she referred to her economics professor who “endorsed her irresponsible life plan.” To be clear, those were her words, not mine! But now she’s a TV writer. Look her up on IMDb! Honestly, I was so surprised and super honored to be part of the story that she told at commencement.
Where can we find you?
The provost’s office is on the third floor of Green Hall, but you can also find me at many upcoming events. I’m really excited about the fall opening of the Rory McEwen exhibit at the Davis Museum, the 50th anniversary celebration of Wellesley Centers for Women, and the 20th anniversary celebration of the Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities. I’ll also be at the athletics welcome event and the October 1 lecture featuring Susannah Heschel and Tarek El-Ariss, who chair the Jewish studies and Middle Eastern studies programs, respectively, at Dartmouth.