Courtney Coile has worn many hats since arriving at Wellesley. She came to the College as an assistant professor of economics in 2000 and rose to the rank of full professor in 2014, becoming the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Economics in 2022 and then the Stanford Calderwood professor in 2024. She has chaired the Department of Economics, the Committee on Admission and Financial Aid, and the Agenda Committee; she has served as a member of a half-dozen additional committees, plus, she was the inaugural director of the Knapp Social Science Center. As of July 1, Coile can add provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College to her résumé of Wellesley responsibilities.

E.B. Bartels ’10 had the opportunity to sit down with Coile at the beginning of the school year to talk about bringing an economist’s eye to her new role, what she loves about Wellesley, and how she’s been redecorating the provost’s office.

How will your experience as an economist inform the work you do as provost?

The way an economist thinks is actually really helpful for making the kind of strategic decisions I’m faced with every day in this office. As an institution, we have to think about what we value, what constraints we face, and what choices we should be making to allow us to achieve our objectives within those constraints. There are obviously a lot of trade-offs when making big decisions, and thinking in terms of trade-offs is very natural to economists. I’m also really comfortable with numbers and data, and I think that’s helpful for understanding the budget and finance issues and making data-informed decisions.

What’s on your agenda for your first year?

Listening and learning is absolutely at the top of my list for this year. It’s been really fun over the summer to do some behind-the-scenes tours of campus facilities like the Botanic Gardens, our new Science Complex, and some of the renovated dorms. Now that the school year is starting up again, I’m beginning to meet with academic departments and groups of faculty to better understand their concerns and their ideas for the future. I’m also excited that the provost’s office is contributing to several College-wide initiatives, like the Wagner Centers for Wellesley in the World and the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center programming.

“This is a place where you can find your path, and you can find your confidence. This is a place that takes our students’ academic, intellectual, and career ambitions incredibly seriously.”

How are you making the provost’s office your own?

I was told there could be an opportunity to have a historic desk, which I found very exciting—I thought I would feel like the president of the United States sitting behind the Resolute desk. It turned out that this desk that had belonged to President Margaret Clapp ’30 was available, and so I’m thrilled about that. Also, from my window I can see Galen Stone Tower and Harris Courtyard. And the staff in Green Hall is so warm and welcoming! I feel very at home in my new office, even if my colleagues in the economics department jokingly gave me a “Green Hall Survival Kit” when I moved here from Pendleton.

How would you characterize Wellesley and its faculty?

Wellesley faculty are first and foremost teachers and mentors who have incredible commitment to student learning, but they’re also cutting-edge scholars who are pushing the frontier of knowledge forward with their scholarly and creative work. In addition, they are dedicated citizens who are really making the College better with their ideas and their vision.

What, in your mind, makes this place special?

This is a place where you can find your path, and you can find your confidence. This is a place that takes our students’ academic, intellectual, and career ambitions incredibly seriously. I’ve always appreciated how our faculty have very high standards for our students, which I think is born out of incredible respect for their abilities, setting the bar high and then providing all of the support that students need to meet those high expectations. That is really just the winning formula that allows our students to go out and do such incredible things in their lives beyond Wellesley. I think all Wellesley faculty members find it just incredibly rewarding.