Carleton College names new provost

Minnesota's most selective private college has named its next provost following a national search.

Carleton College has appointed Michelle Mattson, who's served as provost of Wittenberg University in Ohio since 2019, to the position, the school announced last week. Mattson will begin work at the Northfield liberal arts college on July 15.

"Michelle is an experienced and thoughtful administrator with a deep understanding of the richness and breadth of the liberal arts," Carleton President Alison Byerly said in a statement. "During the interview process, she not only provided strong answers, she asked great questions. Her intellectual curiosity and eagerness to learn make her a very good match for Carleton."

Mattson is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota who earned master's and doctorate degrees in German studies from Stanford University. She is a scholar of German literature and culture, and has written two books.

At Wittenberg University, a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio, Mattson oversaw the school's academic budget, programs and faculty hiring, among other things. She helped develop a new general education curriculum that launched last year, and revised recruitment and hiring practices to better diversify the college's faculty.

She previously served as associate vice president of academic affairs for institutional effectiveness at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., and taught at Columbia University and Iowa State University.

"I am truly excited to be joining such excellent colleagues all across the campus, and look forward to engaging in the kind of dynamic and forward-thinking collaboration that energizes all members of a learning community — particularly one of Carleton's excellence," Mattson said in a statement.