Acting Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

I write to announce the appointment of Karen Colley, Dean of the Graduate College, as the Acting Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, effective May 24, 2021, subject to approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Karen has a deep commitment to UIC and has consistently been called upon to take on additional leadership roles when circumstances have called for it, including serving as the Interim Dean of Libraries during the last year. She is also serving as one of the co-chairs leading our national search for a new Provost.

Dr. Colley is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Since her appointment as Dean of the Graduate College in 2012, she has overseen all graduate programs across UIC. She also serves as the institutional leader for UIC at the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL). CIRTL is an academic network of top research universities devoted to developing and expanding proven STEM teaching practices to educate diverse populations of students. Karen received her Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis and completed her postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

This acting appointment will allow for a seamless transition in leadership following the departure of Provost Susan Poser. Dr. Colley will hold this interim role until the conclusion of the national search for a permanent Provost and the arrival of the new Provost on campus.

Please join me in thanking Provost Poser for her leadership and wishing her well in her new role as the President of Hofstra University, and in supporting Dr. Colley in her new role.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Amiridis
Chancellor