Organizational Updates in Faculty Advancement and Graduate Education

This message was shared with all faculty and staff on January 6th, 2025.

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you had a restful and joyous winter break. As we welcome the new year, the Provost’s Office will be implementing a number of leadership and structural changes to support greater organizational consistency and alignment with University goals. Below are two important changes in the Office of Faculty Advancement and Graduate College.

Leadership Changes in the Office of Faculty Advancement

After nine years leading the Office of Faculty Advancement, Senior Vice Provost Erin McNamara Horvat, PhD, has stepped down from her role as senior vice provost for faculty advancement to return to the faculty. Vice Provost Leslie Ashburn Nardo, PhD, has been appointed vice provost for faculty advancement and inclusion, and will lead the Office of Faculty Advancement in addition to continuing to lead academic diversity, equity and inclusion.

Dr. Horvat joined the Provost’s Office in 2016 to establish the University’s first Office of Faculty Affairs, part of efforts to better support faculty throughout the professional lifecycle. She has since identified and led several high-impact University initiatives. Dr. Horvat developed a leadership development program for academic leaders and collaborated with colleagues in Human Resources, the Office of the General Counsel and Faculty Senate to develop the Tenured Faculty Transition Plan, providing a coherent and predictable structure for tenured faculty to retire. Recognizing a need for greater policy infrastructure and processes, Dr. Horvat co-led efforts to establish a Policy on Policies and Drexel’s Policy Compliance Program.

In 2018, Dr. Horvat developed and launched the Teaching and Learning Center, which has advanced the culture of excellence and innovation in teaching at Drexel. She took on additional administrative roles, including overseeing undergraduate education during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was instrumental in moving the University to remote learning while collaborating with Student Life to provide a more integrated student experience. Dr. Horvat served as interim dean of the School of Education during a difficult time following the passing of Dean Penny Hammrich, and co-led the ELATES faculty leadership development program when it initially moved into the Provost’s portfolio.

An ethnographer and sociologist of education, Dr. Horvat will return to her faculty role in the School of Education and her research. I’m deeply grateful to Erin for her service and significant contributions to the University over the past nine years.

Since joining the University as vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion in 2022, Dr. Ashburn-Nardo has made significant contributions to enhancing faculty recruitment and advancement processes. She has helped steer a culture shift toward strategic, cross-unit cluster hiring, including piloting a Faculty Hiring Summit that brought together deans and Provost’s Office leaders in January 2023; another summit is planned for this month. As the current Drexel subaward PI of the National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant, “Partnership: Let's Talk Money: Building Community Understanding of the Institutional Compensation System,” she is leading an examination of faculty compensation processes with leaders from the academic units, Faculty Senate and Human Resources. Dr. Ashburn-Nardo is also Co-PI, with other Drexel collaborators, on a funding proposal submitted last fall to support equitable faculty advancement as a follow up to Drexel’s 2022 NSF ADVANCE Catalyst award led by Sharon Walker, PhD.

Combining the DEI and faculty advancement roles in the Provost’s Office will help ensure that our efforts are fully integrated into our day-to-day work with faculty. More information will follow as Dr. Ashburn-Nardo develops her vision for reimagining the office. Please join me in thanking and welcoming Leslie to her new role!

Graduate College to Become Office of Graduate Studies

As part of an effort to create more consistency in the organizational structure of the Provost’s Office, the Graduate College will be undergoing changes in the coming months. The Graduate College will now be known as the Office of Graduate Studies, housed in the Provost’s Office and led by Elisabeth Van Bockstaele, PhD, as senior vice provost for graduate studies. The Office of Graduate Studies will continue to support the functions of the Graduate College, including:

• Working collaboratively with the colleges and schools, as well as central administrative units, to support the advancement of graduate education and to advocate for graduate student success.
• Providing academic support and guidance while helping to develop and disseminate policy changes among graduate students.
• Working closely with graduate student organizations to develop academic, professional development that enhances the graduate student experience and builds community.

As a next step, the Office of Graduate Studies will collaborate with academic units and Student Success to better align graduate student support services across these units.

I wish you all the best for a fulfilling start to the new year and term, and look forward to seeing the working groups kick off for Academic Transformation.

Sincerely,

Paul E. Jensen, PhD
Executive Vice President
Nina Henderson Provost