Richard Paul Saller (born October 18, 1952) is an American professor of European studies. He is the former provost of the University of Chicago and the former dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, where he is currently the university's president.
Richard Saller | |
|---|---|
| Interim President of Stanford University | |
Acting | |
| Assumed office September 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Marc Tessier-Lavigne |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Levin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Paul Saller October 18, 1952 |
| Spouse | Tanya Luhrmann |
| Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) Jesus College, Cambridge (PhD) |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | Patronage and Social Mobility in the Aristocracies of the Principate (1978) |
| Doctoral advisor | Peter Garnsey |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | European studies |
| Institutions | |
On July 19, 2023, Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced he would resign. Stanford University's board of trustees appointed Saller to serve as an interim president beginning on September 1.
Early life and education
Saller was born in 1952. He earned his BAs in history and ancient Greek at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1974, and his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 1978.
Career
University of Chicago
In 1984, Saller began teaching Roman social and economic history at the University of Chicago. He became a dean in 1994 and the university's provost in 2002. As dean, he attracted controversy for asking the university to shut down its educational department.
Stanford
In April 2007, Saller was made the dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. He stepped down in September 2018 to teach full-time.
Awards and distinctions
Since 1986, the Saller Dissertation Prize has been awarded at University of Chicago for outstanding dissertations.
Personal life
Saller is married to anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann.
Publications
Books
- Saller, Richard P. (1982). Personal Patronage under the Early Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Garnsey, Peter; Saller, Richard P. (1987). The Roman Empire: Economy, Society and Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Saller, Richard P. (1994). Patriarchy, Property and Death in the Roman Family. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Saller, Richard P. (2022). Pliny's Roman Economy: Natural History, Innovation, and Growth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.