Babson Professor Janice Yellin begins three-year appointment July 1, 2012

Janice Yellin, professor of art history at Babson College, has been named director of the Three-College Collaboration among Babson College, Olin College, and Wellesley College.

Yellin's major interest is in Egyptology and Meroitic studies. She is currently director of the Royal Pyramids of Kush Project, which is documenting for publication the pyramids belonging to the kings and queens of ancient Meroe (c350 BC - AD 350) that are located north of Khartoum. These decorated, royal tombs are the last pyramids built in Africa and are endangered by human activities and environmental changes. The project has been funded by grants from major foundations. She joined the Babson faculty in 1985.

She has published numerous articles on ancient Sudanese art and religion and recently completed her term as a member of the board of the International Society for Nubian Studies.

The collaboration was launched in 2009 by the three college presidents—Babson President Len Schlesinger, Olin President Richard K. Miller, and Wellesley President H. Kim Bottomly—in an effort to expand educational opportunities for students and promote interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research. Even this early in its existence, the Babson-Olin-Wellesley collaboration serves as a model for integrating the liberal arts and sciences with business and engineering. The partnership stands apart from most college consortia by taking advantage of the schools’ complementary curricula to create innovative approaches to student learning and problem solving and to provide all students with the tools to work across disciplines.

The director role is a three-year appointment that rotates among the colleges. Yellin will take over from Adele Wolfson, Schow Professor of Chemistry at Wellesley College, building on Wolfson’s outstanding work.

Accomplishments during the collaboration’s first three years include establishing a certificate program in sustainability, an annual workshop for faculty development, an annual January program for students (the first on improving the economies of cities, the second on pedagogy and learning, and the third on access to clean water), funding of Mellon Presidential Innovation grants, and much more.

“Thanks to Adele’s hard work and that of the collaboration, students, faculty, and staff enjoy easier access to services and resources across the three campuses,” said President Bottomly. “I know Professor Yellin will build on this success; I look forward to the future of the Three-College Collaboration and our continued partnership with Babson and Olin.”

“Janice Yellin is ideal for her new position as director of our Three-College Collaboration,” said President Schlesinger.  “She’s wonderfully organized, has great energy, and cares passionately about undergraduate education.  She also knows the Babson culture inside and out and is enthusiastic about working closely with Wellesley and Olin.  With her deep understanding of different academic disciplines and her commitment to quality undergraduate education, she can help bring the three college cultures together in new and exciting ways.”

Yellin has taught at Louisiana State University, the University of Florida, Brandeis University, and Merrimack College. She has held the Martha Willcomb Lectureship in Egyptian Civilization at Harvard University.

She began her new role on July 1, 2012.