Holy Cross dean of faculty to fill interim provost position

Photo | Courtesy of the College of the Holy Cross Dean of Facutly Ann Marie Leshkowich was appointed as interim provost effective July 1.

Write a Comment

By Katherine Hamilton

The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester has named dean of faculty Ann Marie Leshkowich as its interim provost to fill in for outgoing Provost Margaret Freije.

Leshkowich is an anthropology professor and joined the Holy Cross department of sociology and anthropology in 2000, earning her tenure in 2007, according to a Tuesday press release from the school.

She became dean of the faculty in 2019, where she has developed guidelines for online teaching and child-bonding leave.

Her interim position will become effective July 1 to fill the position while the college searches for a permanent replacement for Margaret Freije. Freije has held the provost position for nearly five years, following roles as associate dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs.

Freije announced in September she would take a sabbatical and step down from her role as provost at the end of the academic year.

In 2019, a Holy Cross alumna alleged Freije had brushed aside claims of sexual harrassment by a professor, prompting Freije to temporarily step down from her role as overseer of the college’s deans while an investigation was ongoing. She was ultimately exonerated by the college in early 2020.