Joanne Roberts to lead Academic Affairs at Bates College

Joanne Roberts, Ph.D., will join Bates College as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, effective July 1, 2025, Bates President Garry W. Jenkins announced today.

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Joanne Roberts Photo credit: Yale-NUS College

Roberts comes to Bates from Yale-NUS College in Singapore, a joint venture of Yale University and the National University of Singapore, where she has served as president since 2022. At Yale-NUS, Roberts oversaw a faculty of 140 and staff of 200, leading recruitment efforts and a revamped research grant drive that more than tripled the funds awarded to faculty.

A noted public economist, Roberts became a tenured member of the Yale-NUS faculty in 2017 and served as executive vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at the liberal arts college from 2018 to 2022. She was also a tenured professor at the University of Calgary, where she held the Canada Research Chair in the Economics of Organizations, and the University of Toronto.

“We are delighted to be welcoming Joanne Roberts, a seasoned administrator and eminent scholar of international renown, to Bates College,” said President Jenkins. “As an experienced chief academic officer, she has mentored, developed, and innovated on behalf of faculty. She has a clear capacity to navigate academic leadership with skill and compassion, and I am confident she will bring those same talents to her work at Bates as she builds community and opportunity for our faculty, students, and academic staff.”

At Bates, Roberts will oversee a faculty of more than 200 and a curricular program that includes 37 majors. She’ll provide leadership to campus programs such as the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, the annual Bates Dance Festival, founded in 1983, the Bates College Museum of Art, and the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance.

“Meeting with faculty, staff, and students when I visited earlier this spring, I felt an immediate affinity with the Bates community,” Roberts said. ”Bates is a place that truly celebrates the importance of liberal arts education. I look forward to working with faculty and staff to expand an already remarkable breadth of academic excellence in teaching, research, and mentoring talented students.”

Roberts received a Ph.D. in economics from Queen’s University. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo, with honors in economics.

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“We are delighted to be welcoming Joanne Roberts, a seasoned administrator and eminent scholar of international renown, to Bates College,” said President Garry W. Jenkins.