Provost Thomas G. Burish has appointed Peter Holland, McMeel Family Professor in Shakespeare Studies at Notre Dame, acting dean of the University's Graduate School. In this role, Holland will oversee the development and support of all graduate programs. He replaces Don Pope-Davis, who was elected vice president and associate provost by the University's Board of Trustees this summer.
"Peter is an eminent scholar as well as a respected leader who will bring a vibrant, forward-looking and international perspective to his work as acting dean," Burish said. "He has been integral to the advancement and enhancement of the performing arts at the University, and I am confident that, even in a short-term capacity, he will contribute greatly to graduate studies."
An internationally renowned Shakespearean scholar, Holland currently is chair of the Department of Film, Television and Theatre and also holds a concurrent appointment in the Department of English. He serves as academic director of Actors From The London Stage, the touring Shakespeare theater company that makes its U.S. home at Notre Dame.
Holland earned his doctorate at the University of Cambridge and came to Notre Dame in 2002. Previously he served as director of The Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Birmingham.
Notre Dame's Graduate School is composed of four divisions - engineering, humanities, science and social science - and the School of Architecture. It embraces 23 doctoral and 46 master's degree programs among 35 departments, institutes and programs. A committee will be formed this fall to lead the search for the Graduate School's permanent dean.
