In a message on Monday, President Sian Leah Beilock announced the appointment of Nina Pavcnik as interim dean of Arts and Sciences, effective immediately.

Pavcnik, the Niehaus Family Professor in International Studies and a professor of economics, co-led the Future of Arts and Sciences project that proposed a new structure—a new school—to bring the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Division of Student Affairs under a unified administrative and budgetary structure to better support students and faculty. 

In October 2024, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal, and the Board of Trustees approved it at their November meeting. 

As interim dean, Pavcnik (pronounced Pawch-nick) will shift from studying and advocating for the change to working to implement it, President Beilock said. 

“A member of the Dartmouth community for 25 years, Nina is exceptionally well-versed in the plan for Arts and Sciences’ future, its many details, and the opportunities it provides faculty, staff, and students,” Beilock said. 

An internationally recognized scholar of how trade policy affects workers, families, and children, particularly in lower-income countries, and of how companies respond to globalization, Pavcnik, a native of Slovenia, earned her bachelor’s degree in economics at Yale University and went on to complete her PhD at Princeton University.

She frequently represents Dartmouth on the world stage, sharing her insights and advising organizations such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. A recipient of Dartmouth’s Dean of Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentoring and Advising, Pavcnik has served as special adviser to the president for major institutional priorities since 2023. 

In her work on the Future of Arts and Sciences project, which Pavcnik co-led with Provost David Kotz ’86, Beilock said she “dedicated herself to a collaborative process that empowered stakeholders at every level, and deftly tapped expertise across the institution.”

“Together with her immense talent for mastering complex issues, she is well-positioned to lead the Arts and Sciences at this crucial moment in its evolution,” Beilock added. 

“Over the past year and a half, conversations and collaboration with Dartmouth community members brought forward many thoughtful ideas for advancing our mission. I look forward to continuing those partnerships—and engaging even more across our community—as we put together the building blocks for the new school that will bring those ideas to life,” Pavcnik says.

The new school will officially launch on July 1, but the transition of personnel, operations, and processes will “continue well into the next academic year,” Beilock said.

Pavcnik will lead the transition until the appointment of a permanent dean of Arts and Sciences. A global search for that leader will begin this year. 

In her message, Beilock thanked Pavcnik, Kotz, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth F. Smith, “and the scores of Dartmouth faculty and staff who devoted their time, energy, and wisdom to bring us to this point.”

“I hope you will join me in congratulating Nina and supporting all those who are helping to guide Arts and Sciences into this new era,” Beilock said.