Retirement of Vita Paladino, Director of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Vita Paladino, Director of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, has announced that she plans to step down from her position at the conclusion of the 2018-2019 academic year, and will retire from the University as of June 30, 2019.
First instituted in 1963 as Special Collections, the Gotlieb Center is an internationally respected repository of personal documents belonging to contemporary public figures, historical documents, and over 140,000 rare books. The collection provides significant resources for researchers, historians, biographers, students, and other members of the BU community. Highlights include the Martin Luther King, Jr. collection, the Richards collection of American literary history, the Partisan Review papers, the History of Nursing Archives, and outstanding collections in the areas of performing arts, journalism and broadcasting, African-American literature, science fiction, and espionage.
Vita has been instrumental in the Gotlieb Center’s growth over the past four decades, particularly in her role as Director of the Center since 2006. Vita joined the Gotlieb Center in 1976 and for 29 years worked closely with founding director Howard Gotlieb, for whom the Center was renamed in 2003. Throughout Vita’s tenure at BU, she has been a driving force behind expanding the Gotlieb Center’s collection, developing extensive programs around the collection, and ensuring the Center’s continued relevance.
The University is fortunate to have benefited from Vita’s passion, dedication, and persistence for the last 40 years; she has left a lasting mark on the Gotlieb Center through the cultivation and preservation of a world-class collection of historical documents. An event will be held this spring to celebrate and honor Vita’s many contributions to Boston University and to the Gotlieb Center.
In conjunction with Vita’s retirement, the Gotlieb Center will be incorporated as a part of the Boston University Library, reporting to University Librarian K. Matthew Dames. Matthew will work with leaders from the Gotlieb Center and the Library to develop the appropriate administrative structure to ensure the continued success of the Gotlieb Center. We are grateful to Matthew for his leadership throughout this transition.
Please join me in acknowledging Vita’s many contributions to the Gotlieb Center and Boston University over the last four decades and in wishing her well in her retirement.
Retirement of Vita Paladino, Director of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center – 1.17.19