image: Joel Hassman Samuels is the new executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Miami.
Credit: Photo courtesy Joel Hassman Samuels
An Ivy League-educated scholar and legal eagle who has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and who reshaped the research program of the largest college at one of the nation’s most comprehensive public universities, substantially increasing federal grant dollars, is the new executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Miami.
Joel Hassman Samuels, who for the past five years has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina (USC), begins his new post at the University of Miami on August 11.
“The combination of Joel’s background as a tenured law professor, researcher, and administrator uniquely equips him to understand the challenges and opportunities across our schools and colleges,” said Joseph “Joe” Echevarria, University president and CEO and president of the University of Miami Health System, describing Samuels as “a proven and dynamic leader.”
During Samuels’ tenure as dean of USC’s College of Arts and Sciences, he oversaw an annual budget of more than $450 million and transformed the college’s research enterprise, increasing federal grant dollars across by more than 70 percent and eclipsing $50 million in federal grant dollars in a single year for the first time in the college’s history in fiscal year 2024, all while increasing both total grant submissions and grant awards.
With more than 10,000 students across 26 schools, departments, and academic programs spanning the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, the college Samuels led is USC’s largest, accounting for 49 percent of the credit-hour production at USC.
As dean, he also cultivated relationships with some of the institution’s top donors. Last year, he secured the largest programmatic gift in USC’s history—a $75 million naming gift for the College of Arts and Sciences that will support innovation in teaching, allow the college to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, fund internships for students during their academic careers, and develop faculty and student experiences in neuroscience, a program launched under Samuel’s leadership in three years ago that is now that university’s fastest growing academic major.
Samuels, who graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he was a Clarence Darrow Scholar, also served as the executive director of South Carolina’s Rule of Law Collaborative—a role in which he was the lead principal investigator on over $27 million in federal grants, positioning him as the top-funded social scientist at the institution.
“As we emerge from the centenary celebrations of the University, I am honored to partner with President Echevarria and the faculty and staff of the U to lead the academic enterprise into its next century,” Samuels said. “In the coming years, I look forward to working with partners across our campuses and in our community to expand our impact on and through our students, through innovative research and creative achievement, through the delivery of extraordinary clinical care, all framed by a commitment to excellence in everything we do.”
At the University of Miami, Samuels takes the reins from Guillermo “Willy” Prado, who served as interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost for the past two years.
“It is because of Willy’s leadership and dedication that we have not missed a beat throughout the interim period,” said Echevarria, noting that under Prado’s direction, the University has advanced a number of critical initiatives such as the successful placement of numerous dean and leader roles, creation of the new Center for Academic Navigation and Success, and the establishment of a new leadership structure and vision for online learning.
“Willy has been—as always—a Cane through and through, placing the best interests of the U and our community above all else,” Echevarria said. “And I am happy to share that Willy will remain a valuable member of the team.”
Samuels’ appointment comes as the University of Miami creates the new role chief scientific officer—a decision Echevarria said “reflects our invigorated commitment to excellence in research and scientific innovation.”
“As we continue to expand our impact in STEM fields and the basic sciences, it is clear that having dedicated, strategic leadership to champion scientific research across disciplines will further distinguish the U on the national and global stage,” Echevarria explained. He added that the new post will complement the broad academic and operational leadership Samuels will provide.
Samuels, who also holds a Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies from Michigan, brings a unique leadership quality to his new role as the U’s provost, having once served as the head coach of a roller derby team.
During his seven-year tenure leading the Columbia QuadSquad, Samuels led the team to a No. 26 ranking out of more than 350 teams. The squad had been ranked near the bottom of the rankings before he took over. “We took a small-town amateur team and competed with professional athletes from the world’s biggest cities,” Samuels said. “We did that as a team and as a family, and that is the culture I seek to infuse everywhere I work.”