Christopher S. Celenza, the vice provost for faculty affairs at Johns Hopkins University, will serve as the next dean of the Georgetown College starting July 1, according to a campuswide email from University President John J. DeGioia sent Thursday morning.

Celenza also serves as a professor in the German and romance languages and classics departments at Johns Hopkins.

Celenza has a long history in scholarship, according to DeGioia. He served as chair of the classics department at Johns Hopkins, founding director of the Charles Singleton Center for the Study of Pre-Modern Europe, a multi-departmental study focusing on the history of premodern Europe, and vice dean for humanities and social science.

DeGioia said Celenza is well-known for his work in academia.

“Dr. Celenza is known for his exceptional scholarship — he is the author of seven books, 40 articles and book chapters, and countless published reviews and short notes — and is the recipient of numerous awards,” DeGioia wrote.

DeGioia convened a search committee after College Dean Chester Gillis announced in March he would conclude his term at the end of the 2016-17 school year. Gillis will rejoin the theology department as a professor following a sabbatical next year.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.