Joan Saab Selected as the Next Provost at the University of Richmond in Virginia

Joan Saab will become executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of the University of Richmond, effective July 1.

“I have long been impressed by the University of Richmond and look forward to working with the exceptional faculty, students, and staff to further strengthen the school’s sense of intellectual community and advance the academic mission,” said Dr. Saab. “Richmond’s commitment to creating a holistic and inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive mirrors my own core values.”

Dr. Saab currently serves as Susan B. Anthony Professor of Art History and executive vice provost of academic affairs at the University of Rochester in New York. In her time at the University of Rochester, she has also served as director of the graduate program in visual and cultural studies and chair of the department of art and art history. Her areas of teaching and research include 19th- and 20th-century American visual cultural studies, American cultural history, public culture and community studies, and sensory history.

Professor Saab is the author of For the Millions: American Art and Culture Between the Wars (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004) and Objects of Vision: Making Sense of What We See (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2020).

Professor Saab earned a bachelor’s degree in English and art history from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree in American civilization with a concentration on material culture and museum studies from George Washington University and a Ph.D. in American studies from New York University.