Babson Announces Dr. Ariel C. Armony as New Provost and Executive Vice President
As we look to build upon a milestone year for Babson ahead of the fall semester, I am proud to share that Dr. Ariel C. Armony will join our community as Provost and Executive Vice President.
Ariel comes to Babson from the University of Pittsburgh, where he currently serves as Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs and Director of the University Center for International Studies. In this capacity, Ariel has been responsible for forging new international partnerships and deepening the University’s reach and impact—experience that positions him well to lead Babson’s global approach to educating the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. He has been a passionate leader and advocate for faculty research, innovative pedagogy, and diversity across academia throughout his career.
As Vice Chancellor, Ariel played an integral role in advancing the University’s global learning initiatives, research, partnerships, and community engagement. His strategic efforts have consistently been focused through a lens of international advocacy and globalization. Under his leadership, the University of Pittsburgh’s six international and global centers were designated as National Resource Centers by the U.S. Department of Education, positioning the institution among the nation’s leaders in international and global studies.
Ariel’s academic research has centered on democratization, civil society, and human rights topics around the world, work that has been influential in sparking debates centered on the relationship between democracy and society. As an immigrant from Argentina, he frequently has drawn upon his personal and professional experience as a Latino leader in academia and beyond.
His broad interdisciplinary experience and extensive scholarship around the world have positioned Ariel as a leader in the complex relations between China and Latin America. He has gained notable recognition following the publication of his most recent book, Emerging Global Cities: Origin, Structure, and Significance, which details the rapid and unprecedented rise of Miami, Dubai, and Singapore as new global powerhouses. Ariel has been published on such topics at length in acclaimed university presses including those at Cambridge, Stanford, and the University of California.
“Babson’s influence and success as a global leader in higher education and entrepreneurship are certain to be amplified with Ariel at the helm of the College’s academic innovation.”
President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD on Dr. Ariel C. Armony, named Babson’s new Provost
Prior to assuming his role of Vice Chancellor, Ariel advanced through positions at Pittsburgh including Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Senior Director for International Programs. He previously led the University of Miami’s Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas and has been a Fulbright scholar, Rockefeller Foundation scholar, and residential fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Babson’s influence and success as a global leader in higher education and entrepreneurship are certain to be amplified with Ariel at the helm of the College’s academic innovation. His ability to connect global thought leaders in conjunction with a commitment to student success will impact all facets of the ways we teach and learn.
Ariel joins our community with a longstanding appreciation for Babson’s approach to entrepreneurship education. In his personal life and throughout his extensive career in academia, he has encountered many Babson alumni. From undergraduate degree holders to MBAs, each Babson graduate left an impression. I know that he is eager to bring his global and entrepreneurial mindset to Babson to contribute to the ways we shape the leaders of tomorrow.
The national search for the next leader of Academic Affairs was conducted with rigor. Careful consideration was given to assessing the caliber of leader required to build on Babson’s proven Entrepreneurial Thought & Action paradigm. I am grateful for the extensive work of the Provost Search Committee, comprised of faculty and administrators, who committed substantial time to this important process. Their commitment to these efforts yielded an inclusive search process, which engaged our full community through multiple input sessions to ensure their work was informed by a broad base of campus stakeholders. I am also thankful for the guidance of the renowned firm Isaacson Miller, who facilitated our extensive search. The committee’s work yielded many exceptional candidates for this role, and I am certain that Ariel is the leader of this impressive group.
The leadership role that Ariel will hold is a direct result of Babson’s community-driven organizational redesign process. Supported by faculty feedback collected through the COACHE survey and the findings of EY-Parthenon’s organizational assessment, community input was integral to our efforts to bring Ariel to Babson.
Ariel is an avid hiker, a hobby that led him to cross Thorong La in the Himalayas, one of the highest mountain passes in the world. He has lived in four continents, written for television, and directed theater. He is married to Mirna Kolbowski, who has extensive financial experience in banking, higher education, and the non-profit sector. Together, they have two sons, Ian and Alan, who live in New York City. As a family, they enjoy grilling and watching soccer—especially when Lionel Messi plays.
Ariel will assume this important position by the middle of the fall semester. I will share additional updates related to academic and student leadership at Babson soon. In the interim, please join me in welcoming Ariel to the Babson community of entrepreneurial leaders.
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