From the Stanford Daily:

The University of Chicago lost its top academic administrator this year when Stanford announced that Richard Saller, a history and classics professor and a former provost at that school, will replace Sharon Long as Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences on April 1.

Though the details have not yet been finalized, Saller’s faculty appointment at Stanford, will most likely be another joint appointment in history and classics. He is a self-described Roman historian, and his forthcoming book, “The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World,” was a collaborative effort with Stanford Classics Profs. Ian Morris and Walter Scheidel. At the University of Chicago, he teaches a course on Roman economic history.

According to Long, Saller will have to overcome “several major opportunities and challenges” as her replacement. After serving a five-year term, Long is leaving the position to return to teaching.

“I really loved being Dean,” Long said, “but what brought me here in the first place was Stanford as a wonderful place to do science and to work with students.”

“I think the School [of Humanities and Sciences] is ready for a strategic planning effort to look at the direction forward for the departments and programs,” she added. “I think this is an attraction for Professor Saller as he decided to come to Stanford.”

“I think there are some opportunities to improve on some of the [Stanford] programs,” Saller told The Daily.

At the University of Chicago, students said that the feeling on campus is that Saller is leaving for a more attractive administrative appointment, despite the fact that he is currently provost.

“[Stanford has] more sunshine and pretty people,” joked Derek Russell-Kraft, a University of Chicago senior.

Chicago senior Andrea Arntsen-Harris said students speculate that Saller’s new job at Stanford will be “less stressful” than the role he is leaving behind.

Saller said that he doubted the Chicago students “had much evidence” for their claims. Although he will watch over approximately 500 Stanford faculty members rather than the more than 1200 he oversaw as University of Chicago Provost, some of the issues he will have to tackle at Stanford, such as the recruitment of minority faculty, are highly controversial.

Stanford continues to struggle with recruiting and keeping minority faculty on staff, as evidenced by the impending departure of Political Science Associate Prof. Luis Fraga, who announced in December his decision to leave for the University of Washington. As provost, Saller worked closely with faculty and students on discussing and resolving minority issues.

In the 2002-2003 academic year, he commissioned the Provost’s Initiative on Minority Issues. The Initiative indicated in its 2002-2003 annual report that “faculty recruitment is essential for minority students.”

Despite this, he said, the progress made at Chicago was not sufficient.

“There is no easy quick solution to [the problem of recruiting minority faculty],” Saller told The Daily. “There are very few things that I spent more time on as dean and provost at the University of Chicago.”

He also said that he will encourage students to break out of the “Stanford Bubble.”

“If the whole college career is cloistered, I think that’s really too limiting,” he said, adding that the freedom to experience the world in new ways is an important aspect of the college experience. Saller became interested in classics after taking a course in Roman history as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois. He emphasized that opportunities to do community service and to study abroad are equally important.

Saller will be joined by his wife, a professor of anthropology, whose academic appointment at Stanford is also in progress. Both spent a year at Stanford from 1986 until 1987 as visiting faculty members at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. They will be leaving behind their two grown sons and close friends in Chicago.

Saller, an enthusiastic cyclist, said that part of what convinced him to come to Stanford were the “fun memories” of his year spent here.

“Chicago isn’t really a bad place to cycle,” he said, “but Stanford is much better.”


... er, what are the implications of the phrase "self-described Roman historian"?