Renée Cramer
Provost & Dean of the College
cramerre@dickinson.edu
Phone: 717-245-1321
Office: Room 202, West College (Old West)
Renée Cramer became provost and dean of the college in July 2023. Prior to arriving at Dickinson, Renée served as deputy provost for academic affairs at Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa) after having been faculty senate president (2017-18) and department chair of Law, Politics and Society for more than a decade. An interdisciplinary sociolegal scholar, Renée earned her Ph.D. in politics from New York University in 2001. Her dissertation on federal acknowledgment of American Indian tribal governments won the American Political Science Association’s “Best Dissertation in the Field of Race and Ethnicity” that year and was published by the University of Oklahoma Press (Cash, Color, and Colonialism: The Politics of Tribal Acknowledgment, 2005). Renée’s most recent teaching and scholarship has focused on reproductive justice, legal mobilization and the governance of women’s bodies, culminating in several articles and two book publications (Pregnant With the Stars: Watching, and Wanting the Celebrity Baby Bump, Stanford University Press 2015; Birthing a Movement: Midwives, Law, and the Politics of Reproductive Care, Stanford University Press 2021). A proud graduate of Bard College (’94), Renée brings to Dickinson an unwavering commitment to the liberal arts; to interdisciplinary education; to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; and to supporting faculty and staff to help our students accomplish their best and most meaningful work.
Amy Steinbugler
Senior Associate Provost of Academic Affairs
steinbua@dickinson.edu
Phone: 717-254-8140
Office: Room 20, West College (Old West)
Amy Steinbugler joined the Dickinson College faculty in 2008, and transitioned to the role of Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs in 2024. In this position, Amy’s focus is on faculty hiring, retention, and development, as well as issues related to promoting equity and developing community. Trained as a sociologist, Amy’s research and teaching have focused on neighborhoods, social networks, family, race/ethnicity, stratification, gender, and sexuality. She is interested in how individuals construct and maintain social relationships across systems of inequality. With a recent grant from the Spencer Foundation, she has explored how connected Philadelphia parents are to their neighbors and their neighborhoods. She also collaborates on a longer-term project with colleagues at Bryn Mawr and the University of Pennsylvania on parents' school and neighborhood networks. Amy is the recipient of the Distinguished Book Award from the Sexualities Section and the William J. Goode Book Award from the Family Section of the American Sociological Association for Beyond Loving: Intimate Racework in Lesbian, Gay, and Straight Interracial Relationships (Oxford University Press). Her writing has been published in Contexts, DuBois Review, Ed Researcher, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Gender and Society, Sexualities and Sociology of Education
Melissa Sturm-Smith
Senior Associate Provost for Integrated Academic Success
sturmsmm@dickinson.edu
Phone: 717-245-1071
Office: Room 16, West College (Old West)
Dr. Melissa Sturm-Smith has dedicated her career in higher education to nurturing student learning and development both inside and outside the classroom. Her expertise spans diverse campus environments, from intimate liberal arts colleges to expansive land-grant universities. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Study, with a certificate in Social Justice, from Iowa State University. Her research interests include examining the role of colleges in educating students for engaged citizenship and serving the common good, leading change for campus-wide commitment to student success, and building systems to connect curricular and co-curricular learning in meaningful ways.
Melissa is deeply committed to involving faculty, staff, and students in the collaborative and strategic co-creation of inclusive programs and services that help students reach their academic, professional, and personal aspirations. Her leadership style is all about embracing change and inspiring innovation. One of her key priorities is to develop strong relationships across the campus, with the local community, and within alumni networks. This aims to enhance experiential learning opportunities and champion access for students traditionally underserved by higher education.
Melissa's journey led her to Dickinson College in April 2024, where she assumed the inaugural Senior Associate Provost role for Integrated Student Academic Success. In this capacity, she oversees a dynamic staff that facilitates academic advising, internships and fellowships, community-engaged learning, and career development.