Bos Named Dean of the College

Bos is the successor to Wendy Sternberg, who left Occidental in July 2024 to become the provost at Bucknell University. Bos's first day in her new role will be July 1.

Currently serving as dean and professor in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, Bos has led collaborative efforts to strengthen academic programs, student success, and institutional effectiveness. These initiatives included: solidifying experiential and career learning, creating an affordable semester-long internship program in Washington, D.C., and launching an integrated academic resource center supporting advising and career exploration. She also led inclusive processes to update the unit's mission and governance structures and co-led university initiatives to strengthen advisor career pathways and secure funding for faculty raises.

"Working with the faculty, Dr. Bos is charged with ensuring that we deliver an outstanding liberal arts education to a talented and diverse group of students," says Occidental College President Tom Stritikus. "As a leader she is committed to shared governance, connecting meaningfully with each constituency and articulating a clear vision for how she would partner with faculty, staff, and students to achieve great things together. Her leadership reflects a commitment to our core values and to fostering an inclusive, academically vibrant community."

Bos previously served as professor and department chair of political science and associate dean for experiential learning at the College of Wooster, where she built an international reputation as a scholar. Her research examines the challenges women face when seeking leadership roles in politics and has appeared in leading journals such as American Political Science Review, Political Behavior, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Frequently co-authoring with undergraduate students, she also co-founded a 150+ member interdisciplinary Gender and Political Psychology network.

Bos earned her PhD and MA in political science from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and her BA from the University of Minnesota-Morris. A first-generation, low-income college student, she was profoundly shaped by Morris's residential liberal arts environment. Throughout her career, she has been committed to using inclusive, engaged processes to examine and create changes and systems that support faculty, staff, and student success.