Professor Emerita Marty Krauss (Heller) will be taking over as the interim dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management while the University searches for someone to fill the position permanently.

Lisa Lynch, the dean of the Heller School, was chosen as the new provost of the University, and will assume her new position tomorrow. She chose Krauss to replace her temporarily. University President Frederick Lawrence announced Krauss’ appointment as interim dean in an email to the faculty on Thursday.

In a phone interview with the Justice, Krauss said, “I’ve been a member of the Heller community since I was 25 years old, so I consider that Brandeis and Heller are now part of my DNA.”

Krauss came to Brandeis in 1977 as a Ph.D. candidate at the Heller School and earned her degree in 1981. She became an assistant professor at the Heller School in 1984 and received tenure as an associate professor in 1990. Krauss later became an associate dean for faculty and programs at Heller. She is an expert in intellectual disabilities, with a focus on the impact on families, social services and public policy of having a family member with intellectual disabilities.

In 2003, Krauss became provost of the University under then-University President Jehuda Reinharz. In her time as provost, she co-chaired the successful reaccreditation process in 2006 and was instrumental in launching the Office of Global Affairs.

She is also known for supporting the University’s decision to sell the artwork from the Rose Art Museum to improve finances in 2009.

In 2011, Krauss stepped down as provost and took a one-year sabbatical. She officially retired in 2012, though she has served on the Heller Board of Overseers for the past two years and chaired Heller’s 55th anniversary reunion this September.

“I’ve been on the faculty at the Heller School, and I’ve held high level administrative positions within the University, so I have a very good understanding of how the University works,” Krauss said. “I think that’s essential for someone who will be in a time-limited position as interim dean, so I don’t have a huge learning curve for the position.”

Krauss said that she expects to serve in the position of interim dean until a new dean is named, and that process can typically take a year or longer. She said that the process is “highly variable, and my goal is just to continue to serve the Heller School and the University until the new dean is ready to take over.”

While she currently has no plans to make changes to Heller, Krauss said, “I need to obviously reengage with the academic programs and research programs and student support needs of Heller. I know a lot, but I haven’t been at the school for 11 years, and a lot of things have changed, so I will certainly take my time to make sure I know about all the nooks and crannies of the Heller School.”

She said that any changes she does make while in the position would be done in close consultation with Lynch.

“The Heller School is in great shape, it’s a wonderful school, and I want to build on strength,” she said.

While the invitation to serve as interim dean was a surprise to Krauss, she said, “I’ve got a lot of energy left, and I’m thrilled with this opportunity to go back to the Heller School that I love so much.”