The Office of the Provost released this announcement today (July 20):

Chancellor Gary S. May and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan are pleased to announce that Ari Kelman has been appointed faculty advisor to the chancellor and provost, effective August 1, 2021. He succeeds Ken Burtis, who retired in June 2020 after four decades at UC Davis as a student, researcher, professor, and administrator.

Kelman comes to his new role with a stellar background in teaching, scholarship, and administration. Having joined the UC Davis faculty in 2005, he currently serves as interim dean of the College of Letters and Science (L&S) and Chancellor’s Leadership Professor of History. In recognition of his scholarship on Native American history, the Civil War, the United States West, collective memory, and environmental history, Kelman has received many academic honors, including the Bancroft Prize for his book A Misplaced Massacre: Struggling Over the Memory of Sand Creek (2015). He is also the recipient of NEH and Guggenheim Fellowships, as well as numerous awards for his teaching and mentoring.

His administrative experience includes serving as associate vice provost and director of University Honors (2013-14), L&S associate dean of Academic Programs and Planning (2017-20), and L&S interim dean (2020-21).

“This is a critical time for our community,” Kelman said, “as we prepare to return to in-person work, strive to advance the university’s core mission of research, teaching, and service, and create better ways to support UC Davis’s extraordinary students, faculty, and staff. I’m excited to assist the chancellor and provost in all of these efforts.”

“Over the course of the past year, even as he has led the College of Letters and Science admirably during an exceptionally challenging time, Ari has also served Chancellor May and me as an informal faculty advisor,” said Provost Croughan. “We have benefited greatly from his counsel on many matters, and we have learned to trust his exceptional discernment and judgment. Just as important, we know how committed he is to supporting the university and all members of our community. We cannot think of anyone better qualified to make a positive impact in this position.”

Craig Buckwald is a writer and media advisor in the Office of the Provost.