This fall, Columbia welcomes Dr. Eliza Nichols as dean of fine and performing arts and Dr. Deborah Holdstein as dean of liberal arts and sciences.

Nichols has been vice provost at The New School in New York, where she oversaw faculty hiring, development, and promotion and the university curriculum, and played an active role in strategic planning the development of by-laws for The New School's eight divisions and schools, which include the Parsons School of Design, the Mannes Conservatory, and the Drama School.

Nichols’s previous positions include associate provost at The New School, director of the University Humanities Program, associate dean of Eugene Lang College (one of The New School's divisions), and director of student affairs and academic services. She has been associate professor of language and literature at The New School, and has held faculty positions at William and Mary University and Yale University. She earned Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. degrees from Yale University and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Holdstein comes to Columbia from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where she was chair of the English department. Previously, she taught at Governors State University, where she chaired the Graduate Council, held the position of faculty associate for graduate studies and research, and headed up the university's North Central re-accreditation process.

Her professional accomplishments also include a long involvement with both the flagship journal of Composition Studies, College Composition and Communication, which she has edited since 2005, and the Conference on College Composition and Communication. She has published and presented widely on scholarly subjects, ranging from literature to film studies.