ITHACA, NY (CortacaToday) – Cornell has its new provost.

Former Provost and Interim Cornell President Michael Kotlifoff announced Kavita Bala as the university’s 17th provost on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Bala, the current dean of the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, first came to The Hill in 1999 as a post-doctoral researcher and worked her way up.

“Kavita has done an outstanding job as dean of Cornell Bowers CIS, shepherding the college’s growth, supporting its diversity, fostering its interdisciplinarity and collaborations, and staking Cornell’s leadership in research and innovation,” said Kotlikoff. “She’ll now bring her copious talents as a researcher, entrepreneur, teacher, visionary leader, and administrator, to the entire university.”

Bala’s 5-year appointment was approved by the Executive Committee of the Cornell Board of Trustees. According to the Cornell Chronicle, she’ll begin on January 1, 2025.

“It is an incredible honor and privilege to serve as Cornell’s next provost,” said Bala. “We are living in an age of tremendous and rapid societal change driven by technological innovation. With Cornell’s intellectual breadth, we are positioned to meet both the challenges and the opportunity of our time. As provost, I hope to foster an environment where all Cornellians can realize their intellectual potential, do their best work, and have a positive impact on the world.”