Following a highly competitive national search, Laura 爱好者 de Abruña博士.D., will be Metropolitan State University of 丹佛’s next provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, 总裁珍妮·戴维森博士.D.，周一宣布.
爱好者 de Abruña, who has served as provost for four other institutions of higher learning and has spent years in the classroom as an accomplished professor of English, 将开始她的新角色简. 25.
“我对他印象非常深刻. 爱好者 de Abruna的 breadth of experience, her skills and her sense of purpose,戴维森说. “She is a leader who gets things done and will hit the ground running. I 不能 对…更感兴趣 密歇根州立大学丹佛’s future as we enter this new chapter.”
爱好者 de Abruña currently serves as provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Dominican University in River Forest, 伊利诺斯州. She previously served in similar leadership roles at York College of Pennsylvania, Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.
In her announcement to 密歇根州立大学丹佛’s faculty and staff, Davidson noted 爱好者 de Abruna的 “long history of working effectively with faculty and university leadership to address challenges with innovative solutions.”
爱好者 de Abruña, who visited campus last week to meet members of the 密歇根州立大学丹佛 community, said the University “matched perfectly” what she was seeking in a new opportunity in higher education.
“至少十年了, I have been interested in joining a larger institution that had the mission of serving an urban population,”她说。. “I was also drawn to 密歇根州立大学丹佛 as a university that has a great mission as an open-access, HSI and anti-racist institution focused on serving first-generation students.”
戴维森感谢 教务长遴选委员会, which spent months vetting more than 100 applicants. 她还感谢了玛丽·莫拉博士.D., who had been in her role as deputy provost for just seven months when Davidson asked her to serve as interim provost while the University conducted a national search.
“Dr. 莫拉挺身而出了, and she has been instrumental in creating a path forward that will allow us to move the needle on student retention, 完成学业和毕业后的成果,戴维森说.
爱好者 de Abruña said that when she assumes her role in January, she will prioritize reviewing ongoing work on advising, 教师的工作量, 卫生研究所, and the creation of new academic policies and procedures.
The 早起者 spoke with 爱好者 de Abruña to learn more about her experience and approach to academic leadership, as well as what she enjoys doing outside of work.
You have more than 30 years of experience as a faculty member, 行政主管和首席学术官. How has your experience in higher education prepared you for this new role?
在我的各种角色中, I have learned a great deal about many of the essential areas of university operations, 包括和教职员工一起工作, 推进共享治理, 与招生管理部门合作, 在皇冠体育官网方面与皇冠体育官网处合作– 成功的计划, working with faculty and staff on social justice and DEI initiatives, 帮助募集资金, 当然, 制定学术预算. I have also paid attention to the important work of maintaining faculty and staff morale and providing professional– development opportunities and mentoring to these groups.
What will be your approach to working with faculty and University leadership to solve problems or achieve institutional goals?
作为首席学术官, I have been careful to schedule regular meetings with faculty members and my direct reports to identify issues of concern or strategy that need to be addressed. I will make sure that proposed solutions or initiatives coming from Academic Affairs are communicated to the president and 总统内阁 so that we are aligned. In reaching a decision that affects a large number of students and/or faculty members, I rely on process and communication as essential parts of my decision –使 . I have great respect for the academic tradition of shared governance.
In addition to your leadership roles in higher education, you also have extensive experience in the classroom as a professor of English. How does that experience influence or inform your work as provost?
I understand the lived experience of a faculty member progressing through the important stages of an academic career. 通过我的教学经验, I’ve become familiar with the expectations around pedagogy and quality teaching, as well as the hard work of service and the challenge of developing a sustainable research agenda I also have first-hand experience working with students and getting to understand their needs as individuals whose growth and development are the instructor’s responsibility. I believe it is essential for a dean or a provost to have spent a good decade in the classroom before presuming to lead colleagues.
What are your interests and hobbies outside of work?
I am interested in art history, Spanish and French literature, and 我是一个 big swimmer. 我还有一个不寻常的爱好，就是宝石 — 切割和抛光宝石的艺术. Colorado is a great state for me to pursue that interest.