Winston Langley, a provost and professor affiliated with UMass Boston for more than 45 years, plans to step down. The university announced Wednesday that Langley will step down as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs on Aug. 15. He will be succeeded on an interim basis by Emily McDermott, the associate provost and dean of the faculty.
Langley was a member of the Boston State College faculty before moving to UMass Boston in 1982.
“As provost, Winston is remarkable for the passion with which he has pursued his charge of advancing the university’s academic mission and the quality of its intellectual life,” interim chancellor Barry Mills said in a statement. “He has led the effort to define UMass Boston as a public research university committed to its founders’ mission, and to enhance our academic standing and reputation regionally, nationally and internationally.”
Langley’s annual pay rate is $297,769, according to the state comptroller’s website. UMass Boston also announced that vice provost Zong-Guo Xia will return to his position as professor of environmental earth and sciences, physics department chair Bala Sundaram will serve as vice provost for research and strategic initiatives and dean of graduate studies, and assistant vice chancellor Marie Bowen will become vice chancellor for human resources.
