Shelley Anna named Vice Provost for Faculty
Anna will serve an initial three-year term, effective July 1, 2023.
Shelley Anna has been selected as the next vice provost for faculty, effective July 1, 2023. Anna, a professor of chemical engineering and associate dean for faculty and graduate affairs and strategic initiatives for the College of Engineering, will serve an initial three-year term. She will provide counsel as a senior academic leader, overseeing academic policies related to faculty affairs and offering support and resources to faculty and academic administrators across the university.
In her role as associate dean, Anna has served as a collaborative senior leader, taking a holistic approach to overseeing graduate and faculty affairs in the college, building partnerships across the university, and advancing strategic priorities and new initiatives, including co-chairing the college’s 2023-2027 strategic plan development.
In faculty affairs, Anna has worked to ensure an equitable reappointment, promotion, and tenure process and navigated the significant and lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on faculty development.
Anna, in collaboration with Alaine Allen, the college’s associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and their counterparts at two other universities, won the National Science Foundation Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Project ELEVATE grant, which focuses on establishing an inclusive and equitable culture and infrastructure that supports faculty success.
The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty oversees a number of important programs, including: faculty appointment, review, retention, and promotion; faculty professional development programs; the dual career program; diversity and inclusion programs for faculty; faculty leaves; and Incoming Faculty Orientation. Anna will serve as the primary liaison for the Faculty Senate, collaborate with colleagues on postdoctoral and graduate student affairs, and support the creation of a new academic ombuds office for faculty and students.
Anna replaces Molly Steenson, who leveraged her expertise and enthusiasm to lay the groundwork to ensure the position’s continued impact.