AUP Names Dr. Hannah Westley as Interim Provost

The American University of Paris (AUP) welcomes Dr. Hannah Westley as Interim Provost for this academic year. With a career that seamlessly intertwines rigorous academia and journalism, Dr. Westley stands uniquely poised to guide AUP through this pivotal year. We sat down with Dr. Westley for a deep dive into her journey, her hopes for the institution, and the impactful experiences she intends to bring to the AUP community.

Congratulations on your appointment as Interim Provost, Dr. Westley. For those in our community who haven't met you yet, could you share a bit about your background and the path that led you to this point in your career?

As a PhD student, part of my studies focused on autobiography and autobiography is the art of imposing a narrative upon the past, an attempt to make sense of a disconnected or random series of events. I think about that now because looking back at my career, it seems to me that all paths led to AUP. AUP has allowed me the unique opportunity to use and draw upon all aspects of my different professional experiences.

In the UK, my studies at Cambridge were in Modern Languages, and European Literary Theory, followed by a PhD funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, which I turned into a book that examines the different ways artists and writers had transformed self-representation over the course of the twentieth century.

After a post-doctoral scholarship, I went into journalism and began a new career at the bottom of the press pecking order at The Times in London.. A few years later, at The Mail on Sunday, I saw at first-hand how journalists under pressure competed for the scoop and, in doing so, brushed ethics under the carpet. This was a masterclass in revising past lessons on writing style, story structure, workplace cultures and ideology. It was, at the same time, an invaluable initiation into newsgathering techniques and reporting skills that were already on the verge of extinction. Those years were the beginning of the tectonic shift that journalism is currently undergoing, and they were formative years for me.

At AUP, I’ve been able to draw upon both my academic training and my professional experience in the courses I’ve taught, my research, and the different ways I’ve been able to serve the institution. I’ve taught across many parts of the curriculum from writing and composition courses, to Communication theory, Visual Culture and journalism practica. I’ve worked closely with students on student-produced news media and with graduate students and faculty as both the Program Director for the Master of Arts in Global Communications and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs. This year, working with faculty and leadership gives me a birds-eye view of the institution, its resources, strengths and needs.

You've been associated with AUP for almost ten years now. What aspects of the university's vision resonate with you personally, and how do you plan to integrate them into your new role?

The curriculum is at the heart of AUP’s mission and, as Chief Academic Officer, I very much look forward to working closely with faculty on its vibrancy and renewal. Our faculty are indefatigable in their innovative approach to their courses.

The intimate setting of the liberal arts classroom evokes for me not only lessons from my own education but also those qualities and skills that were instilled in me from my ten years as a writer and editor: curiosity, patience, determination; the necessity of listening as well as lecturing; the ability to go towards the other and to know when to keep a respectful distance; to know how to participate, when to lead and when to stand back; how to enthuse students and colleagues, and, at the same time, impart habits of discipline and academic rigor.

Over the coming year I will be working closely with faculty and staff to support our students inside and outside the classroom. The intellectual growth of our students is at the heart of AUP’s mission but we take a holistic approach to education and believe that students are served not only through knowledge and skills acquisition but also by a community that enables them to become responsible, caring and compassionate citizens.

AUP is known for its innovative approach to education. Where do you see some of the biggest opportunities for innovation as the University commences the 2023-24 academic year with its biggest-ever incoming class? Are there any ongoing initiatives that you are particularly excited about?

I am committed to the mission of a liberal arts education and its many advantages: the importance of small classes, lively discussion, mentored research projects and the value for professors and students of developing close working partnerships. In the classroom, I want our students to question the assumptions they make and those made by their chosen discipline; I want them to know why they are studying and how they can contribute both in the classroom and in the future. At the forefront of the global liberal arts, AUP offers the best of this liberal arts education and combines it with multiple opportunities for students to embark upon pre-professional training – either through courses with experiential components or through internships. I’m a firm believer in the goals we’ve established for our graduates: to become independent, creative thinkers and engaged lifelong learners. Our promise to our graduates is that they leave AUP as adaptable communicators with a global vision, equipped to become responsible actors and empowered leaders.

For many of our students, arriving at AUP is their first time away from their home country and, here, they have the opportunity not only to explore Paris and French culture but also to use AUP as a portal to the rest of the world through our cultural program, and its field-based practica and study trips. This year, our first-year program is taking students to many different destinations across France and Europe, from Malta to Marseille, Cairo and Manchester, to engage in learning beyond the classroom and to expand cultural perspectives. I’m also very excited about some of the initiatives we’re developing with media companies around the Olympics, which Paris will be hosting next year. Training partnerships such as these are wonderful opportunities for our students to see how theory, or lessons learned in the classroom, have real-world relevance and application.

As the new semester is beginning, and you are leading AUP as Interim Provost, what message would you like to convey to the AUP community?

AUP is at a very exciting time in its history. We’ve just welcomed our largest ever incoming class and our campus is buzzing with students from many different horizons. A global liberal arts education seeks to challenge preconceptions and assumptions. In the classroom, we push our students to express themselves, engage in challenging ideas and learn how to ask the right questions: the hallmark of a great education is that it leaves you wanting to learn more. Our graduates are looking at a very different professional playing field than previous generations. Most of them won’t embark upon a single scaffolded profession; our students need to be prepared to switch career trajectories perhaps multiple times across the course of their life, so they need a broad knowledge base and transferrable skills. The sorts of problems our graduates will face, from global pandemics to economic recession and the climate crisis, are complex problems which will need to be tackled from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. At AUP, our strength lies in our tightly knit interdisciplinary community, in our ability to transcend national boundaries, and to seek creative ideas in the juxtaposition of different viewpoints and opinions. We embrace these differences in order to find solutions that will serve all members of the community – from faculty and staff, to students and alumni. The warmth and will that drives us to both embrace difference and make it our strength has carried AUP from the rented classrooms in the basement of the American church at the time of its founding to the cutting-edge consolidated campus in the 7th arrondissement we know today; that drive is the foundation of our future.