From left to right: Elisabeth Van Bockstaele, PhD, who was recently appointed vice provost for graduate education; Koren A. Bedeau, PhD, who will serve as interim vice provost for global engagement; and Shivanthi Anandan, PhD, who will serve as interim vice provost for undergraduate education.

Below is a message from Executive Vice President and Nina Henderson Provost M. Brian Blake, PhD:

I am pleased to announce the following appointments in the Graduate College, Office of International Programs, and on my staff, as well as noting the departure of a valued colleague in the University’s fellowships program: 

Graduate College

After serving for a year as interim vice provost uniting the efforts of the Graduate College with all Schools and Colleges, including the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies, Elisabeth Van Bockstaele, PhD, has been appointed for a three-year term as vice provost for graduate education to continue this work. For all graduate studies institution-wide, I’ve asked Dr. Van Bockstaele to promote and champion best practices in graduate education and be an advocate for the graduate student experience — from recruitment to graduation.

Dr. Van Bockstaele, professor of pharmacology and physiology in the College of Medicine, joined Drexel from Thomas Jefferson University, where she was a tenured faculty member. She received her doctorate and master's degrees in neurobiology from New York University, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Cornell University Medical College before joining the faculty there, prior to coming to Philadelphia. She is a 2010 graduate of Drexel University College of Medicine's Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® program for women.

Office of International Programs

Koren A. Bedeau, PhD, vice provost for academic programs and strategic initiatives, will serve as interim vice provost for global engagement in the office created by her predecessor, Julie Mostov, PhD. Dr. Bedeau will explore ways to restructure our global initiatives to expand partnerships and international opportunities for Drexel students and faculty.

The Office of International Programs will be renamed the Office of Global Engagement, and the Study Abroad Office will become Office of Education Abroad. These changes more accurately reflect the variety of academic mobility programs, global experiences and training available at Drexel, and are in alignment with nomenclature trends in international education. While the administrative changes will be effective immediately, faculty, students, and staff can continue to find programs, partnership support, study abroad opportunities, and resources at their current websites: Office of International Programs and Study Abroad Office. For international partnerships, strategic relationships, and education abroad, Dr. Bedeau and I will work together to charge a standing Global Initiatives Council that will help to develop the long-term vision for global engagement at Drexel.

Dr. Bedeau joined the Office of the Provost just over two years ago, arriving from the University of Miami, where she was associate dean for graduate studies. She earned her doctorate in mass communication and media studies from Howard University and her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Central Florida.

Office of the Provost

Shivanthi Anandan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as interim vice provost for undergraduate education, taking the reins from Tim Kurzweg, who is headed for Penn State Behrend. Working within the framework established by our 2012-2019 Strategic Plan, Dr. Anandan will formulate initiatives committed to assuring that Drexel undergraduate students are among the most academically, socially, and civically engaged in the nation, and driven by a passion for learning by doing.

Dr. Anandan received her bachelor’s from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, and her doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Fellowships Program

Meredith Wooten, PhD, director of the Center for Scholar Development — which oversees Drexel Fellowships — is moving on, to become director of Penn’s Graduate Student Center. She has done stellar work for us, advising students applying for major fellowships and graduate programs, as well as promoting research and academic enrichment opportunities with students, faculty, and staff across the University. I speak for Paula Marantz Cohen, dean of the Pennoni Honors College, when I say that we will miss Dr. Wooten as a valued and dedicated colleague.

Sincerely,

M. Brian Blake

Executive Vice President and Nina Henderson Provost