Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Personnel
To: Administrative Officers, Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, Faculty, Staff in the Academic Personnel Office, Vice Chancellors and Vice Provosts
Dear Colleagues:
As part of my transition to the role of interim executive vice chancellor and provost, I am pleased to announce that Kathleen L. Komar will take over my former duties in the Academic Personnel Office (APO) with the title of interim vice provost, effective November 1, 2021. She will remain in the position through the 2021–22 academic year.
Professor Komar has been a faculty member at UCLA for more than four decades and is currently distinguished professor of comparative literature and special assistant to the vice chancellor for academic personnel. She is well positioned to provide stability and continuity within the APO during a period of broader change: As my special assistant since 2016, Professor Komar has advised on academic personnel matters including merit equity reviews, promotions and advancements, and changes to personnel processes and regulations. She has also reviewed personnel dossiers that require additional comment, have received mixed reviews by the various reviewing bodies or are particular to her area of expertise. As necessary, Professor Komar has served in various departments as co-chair or external advisor, and she regularly meets with faculty who have questions about processes or regulations related to academic personnel. Additionally, she serves on the oversight committee for our ongoing transformation of personnel dossiers to digital systems.
During her time at UCLA, Professor Komar has also served as chair of comparative literature, associate dean of the Graduate Division, chair of UCLA’s Academic Senate, member and chair of the Council on Academic Personnel, and chair or co-chair of departments in three different schools on campus.
A prolific researcher, Professor Komar has published more than 120 articles and books on a variety of comparative topics from Romanticism to the present and focused on American and German literature. She is the recipient of numerous university honors, including UCLA’s Distinguished Teaching Award, UCLA Staff Assembly’s Faculty/Staff Partnership Award and the University of California’s Oliver Johnson Award for lifetime service to the Academic Senate.
Given her extensive experience as a successful leader in roles across UCLA — and in particular her deep knowledge of academic personnel matters — I am confident that Professor Komar will be a great asset to the university during this transition period. I look forward to working closely with her in this new capacity.
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Sincerely, |
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Michael S. Levine |
