Manhattanville College hires Lisa Dolling as provost

Manhattanville College has appointed Lisa M. Dolling as provost and vice president for academic affairs. Dolling succeeds Gail M. Simmons, who will leave Manhattanville after five years for the provost’s post at Hofstra University.

Dolling, a Manhattanville alumna, will return to the college July 1 as provost and professor of philosophy. Currently, she is the dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, co-director of the Stevens Center for Science Writing and associate professor of philosophy.

“Words cannot adequately express how thrilled I am to return to Manhattanville College as provost, with the privilege of serving as academic leader for the community that I hold so dear,” Dolling said in a statement.  “I am especially delighted to have the opportunity to give back to the institution that first inspired me to pursue an academic career and contributed so much to the person I have become.”

Dolling holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Manhattanville and two master’s degrees in philosophy, one from Fordham and the other from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where she also received her doctorate in philosophy.

She has taught philosophy at colleges including Manhattanville and Purchase College, and was a director at St. John’s University before going to Stevens. In a statement from the Manhattanville, Dolling is credited with expanding and establishing numerous programs at Stevens.

“She has already impressed our community with her many strengths, her energy, her enthusiasm and her personal warmth,” Manhattanville College President Jon C. Strauss said in a statement. “We now look forward to her building on our strong foundation and leading us forward in the implementation of our new strategic plan.”