Board Members

Dan Berman (first term: 2025-2028) serves as Vice Provost for undergraduate studies at Temple University. As vice provost for undergraduate studies, Berman provides leadership and support on matters related to undergraduate education. Serving both students and faculty, he leads an office that works to enrich the academic environment for undergraduate students and to further the academic mission of the university.

Berman oversees a wide range of offices and centers, including all university-wide academic advising and support centers, the General Education program, the Career Center, the Honors Program, the Office of Continuing Studies, the Division of University Studies (serving students who have not yet decided on a school/college or major at Temple), ROTC and more.

A respected teacher and scholar in the area of ancient Greek literature and myth, Berman came to Temple in 2009 after seven years at Penn State, where he earned tenure in 2008. He began the first of two terms serving as director of Temple’s Intellectual Heritage program—which encompasses the two core humanities courses taken by all Temple undergraduates—in 2011. In 2012-13, Berman directed the prestigious Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, serving as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Professor-in-Charge. In 2014, he became chair of Temple’s Department of Greek and Roman Classics.

dwberman@temple.edu

William (Bill) Davis (first term: 2023-2026) is a Professor of Biochemistry and Interim Vice Provost at Washington State University (WSU). Bill has been at WSU for 22 years and has been in leadership for 15 years serving in the past as his department’s Undergraduate Studies Director and the first Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). In his current role, Bill oversees a diverse portfolio that includes advising, tutoring, career services, multiple TRIO programs, undergraduate research, distinguished scholarships, general education, the WSU Writing Program, program assessment, and other duties as assigned.

Outside of WSU, Bill has held leadership positions in other education non-profits including serving on the external board for Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), being an annual STEM Leadership Institute coach and institute leader, a lead facilitator for the Mobile Summer Institutes for Scientific Teaching, and he is the Treasurer and a Board member for the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE). Through these experiences, Bill brings experience with system thinking, alternative governance structures, department-level transformation, coaching, and leadership development.

During his time at WSU, Bill has strongly supported the core tenets of the 2030 Boyer Report. Before his current role in the Provost’s Office, Bill’s scholarship was in Biology Education Research and his 450-550 student introductory biology course served as a laboratory to investigate equity and excellence in teaching and learning. He used interventions like project-based laboratories, argumentation, prosocial course structures, and growth mindset interventions to eliminate equity gaps for students from first-generation backgrounds and students with high levels of adverse childhood experiences. This latter work was directly related to nurturing the mental health and well-being of all students enrolled in his class. Bill served for 20 years as a faculty academic advisor for over 400 students, including students in the WSU Team Mentoring Program for underrepresented students, a high-ability BS-to-PhD 7 year fast-track program, pre-health, and across four BS degree programs. Through his membership in the WSU CVM Teaching Academy and the Western States CVM Teaching Academy, Bill worked on new tools for peer evaluation of teaching and teaching portfolios to support tenure and promotion. During his time as his department’s undergraduate studies director, Bill was responsible for leading program assessment and annual reporting related to the educational outcomes for students across three degree programs. Most recently, Bill has led WSU’s participation in the UERU Curricular Analytics project to support reviews of WSU’s 180 degrees.

wbdavis@wsu.edu

Michael Dennin (first term: 2026-2029): Professor Dennin earned his A. B. from Princeton University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. (1995) from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He held a postdoctoral position at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and a Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar. He has been a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCI since 1997. You can find him on twitter (@DenninMichael), Instagram (@DenninMichael), Facebook (@ProfDenninMichael), and LinkedIn (denninmichael).

Professor Dennin’s main research interest is systems that exhibit emergent properties. These include the behavior of complex fluids, such as foam and sand, as well as the complex dynamics of biological systems. For a more detailed discussion of the research and fun pictures and movies, visit Professor Dennin’s Home Page: http://www.physics.uci.edu/~dennin.

Professor Dennin is well-known for popularizing science for the public. His latest work is The Physics of X: where X is everything except politics – YouTube series. He currently appears regularly on the podcast Fascinating Gadgets, Gizmos, and Gear-based Technology (fgggbt.com), where he and fellow panelist take “your favoriate science fiction and make it a reality.” He has taught many online courses on the nature of science, including team teaching a MOOC based on the television program, The Walking Dead. He has appeared on a number of television programs, including Spider-man Tech, Batman Tech, Star Wars Tech, Ancient Aliens, The UnXplained, and Histories Greatest Mysteries (list of appearances at IMbD). He has a book with Franciscan Media on science and religion titled: Divine Science: Finding Reason at the Heart of Faith that is available at independent bookstores everywhere, online at Franciscan Media dot Org, and of course Amazon.

He has been Vice Provost of Teaching and Learning and Dean, Division of Undergraduate Education at UCI since 2015. In this role, Michael is dedicated to enhancing the undergraduate experience at UC Irvine. He oversees programs that connect students to a wide range of academic programs and services and supports faculty and TAs in their efforts to teach undergraduate courses.

Maria Galli Stampino (first term: 2025-2028), currently serves as the Dean of Undergraduate Education in the Office of the Provost and Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Miami. 

Dr. Maria Galli Stampino was born raised just north of Milan, Italy. She holds a laurea from Universita` Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Milan in Modern Foreign Languages; an MA in American Studies from the University of Kansas; and a PhD in Italian and Comparative Literature from Stanford University.

Her scholarly background is in early modern Italian culture, especially performance and theater and women writers.

mgstampino@miami.edu

In his role as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success, Steven Girardot (first term: 2023-2026) has devoted his career to enhancing the transformative potential of higher education and supporting students in realizing its benefits at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Girardot has over 20 years of experience in leading undergraduate education. From 2011-2021, he served as the Assistant, Associate, and then Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Georgia Tech. In 2022, he was appointed as the Vice Provost (VPUE). Prior to these roles, Dr. Girardot held leadership positions in student affairs, academic success as well as the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). In all his roles, Dr. Girardot has found that his strengths are bringing people together to address challenges; creating programs and systems that support their goals; and building collaborations among stakeholders. These strengths will be particularly important as UERU continues to advance the Boyer 2030 recommendations.

Outside of Georgia Tech, he has a track record of experience in national organizations. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. He served as Annual Conference Chair and then President of the North American Association of Summer Sessions (NAASS) from 2017-2021. In 2021, Dr. Girardot received the Distinguished Service Award recognizing his service and leadership. He has been an evaluator for SACSCOC, including several QEPs. In 2009, he worked with Penguin Random House to establish and serve on its higher education advisory board for common reading programs. Finally, he currently works with Rachel Holloway (UVP at Virginia Tech) to re-establish a network of UVPs from the ACC schools.

Although his academic background is in chemistry and public health, the focus of Dr. Girardot's scholarly work has been student success and transition. He regularly presents on topics and serves on panels related to student success and transition. In 2020, he and his co-presenters were recognized for Outstanding Research Presentation at the AACRAO SEM conference. In 2022, he received a Fulbright IEA fellowship for France, and he completed two of Harvard’s leadership development programs in 2013 (MDP) and 2023 (MLE).

steven.girardot@gatech.edu

Blanche M. Hughes (Host Institution Representative) is currently in her 15th year as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Colorado State University and serves on the President’s leadership team. In this role, she works with a Division that collaborates with other units in the University community providing support for our students and staff to be successful. Dr. Hughes teaches a first-year undergraduate seminar course, as well as teaches and advises in the Student Affairs in Higher Education graduate program.

Before becoming Vice President, Dr. Hughes spent six years as the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, 11 years as the director of Black Student Services at Colorado State, and also served as a professor of the Sociology Department at Pikes Peak Community College for two years, one of those years as chair of the department.

Dr. Hughes received her bachelor’s degree from Earlham College, and a master’s of education degree and doctorate degree in sociology from Colorado State University. She enjoys teaching, mentoring students and staff, presenting on issues related to diversity, parent transitions, and issues around managing work and family. Dr. Hughes is married with four children (two are alums of CSU) and three grandchildren.

blanche.hughes@colostate.edu

Norman Jones (first term: 2025-2028) serves as Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education and Professor of English at The Ohio State University. He earned his Ph.D. from UCLA and his B.A. from Yale. His scholarship explores intersections and tensions between the Bible and literature, focusing especially on literary representations of marginalized subjectivities in twentieth- and twenty-first-century American literature. His more recent books include an undergraduate textbook, The Bible and Literature:  he Basics, and a scholarly monograph, Provincializing the Bible: Faulkner and Postsecular American Literature. He previously served as Dean and Director of Ohio State’s Mansfield campus and, prior to that, as Associate Dean of the Mansfield campus.

jones.2376@osu.edu

Jessica Murphy (first term: 2026-2029) is the inaugural Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Success, and Academic Innovation at Montclair State University in New Jersey. As Vice Provost, she is responsible for advancing undergraduate education, student success initiatives, and academic innovation strategies at Montclair State University while also supporting university-wide efforts to increase student sense of belonging. A strong belief in the transformative power of higher education guides Murphy’s work in student success.

murphyje@montclair.edu 

Karen Paisley (first term: 2025-2028) serves as the assistant vice president for academic affairs and senior associate dean for Undergraduate Studies (US) for the University of Utah. In this crucial leadership role, Dr. Paisley leads efforts focused on exceptional education, proactive academic advising, and One U strategic success initiatives.

Throughout more than twenty years at the University of Utah, Dr. Paisley has had numerous administrative roles. As faculty in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism in the College of Health, her research has ranged from topics exploring learning transfer and social justice in experiential education to outdoor education as a component of sustainability learning. Her teaching efforts, including providing support for the new Teaching Assistant Orientation run by the Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence focused on preparing graduate students for success as future faculty. Through this work she earned the U’s Early Career Teaching Award (2005), Society of Park and Recreation Educators Excellence in Teaching Award (2007), College of Health Distinguished Teaching (2011) and Mentor (2015) Awards, and Fellowship in the U’s Academy of Health Science Educators (2014).

karen.paisley@utah.edu

Gillian Pierce (first term: 2026-2029) is Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at Harvard University, responsible for academic programs and policy for all undergraduate students.  Her portfolio also includes General Education, the Writing Program, First-Year Seminars, engaged scholarship, creativity and entrepreneurship, academic program review, first-year academics, and instructional support.  During her time at Harvard, she has helped develop initiatives to support students from under-resourced backgrounds, such as the Harvard Rising Scholars Program, new ways of integrating public service into the curriculum, such as Harvard’s new Certificate in Civic Engagement, and policies to reflect changing student demographics and to support all students, championing the principles and recommendations of UERU’s Boyer 2030 report.
 
Previously, she spent 15 years at Boston University, where she served as Assistant Provost for Academic Assessment.  Her responsibilities there included leading learning outcomes assessment for all undergraduate and graduate academic programs, accreditation, and leading a task force to review and change teaching evaluation practices on campus.   She also participated in developing general education learning outcomes for the BU Hub.  She received her PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan.

gillian_pierce@fas.harvard.edu

Hillary Procknow, President and Chair of the Board (first term: 2022-2025) is a student success advocate and campus leader in the area. She is dedicated to the practice of radical equity and access. Drawing on her academic background in psychology, cultural theory, and Continental philosophy, she has spent the past two decades working to make classrooms more inclusive and to enact campus policies that eliminate barriers for students.

Dr. Procknow currently serves as the Assistant Dean and Principal Advisor for Academic Excellence and Texas Honors in the Undergraduate College at the University of Texas at Austin, where she oversees campus-wide and college-specific success programs; experiential learning opportunities; the First-Year Experience; the campus learning center; developmental education; TRIO programs, and central honors programming.

During her ten years of heading the developmental education program at UT, Hillary was an enthusiastic voice in the conversation advocating for educational experiences that respect students’ dignity and the strengths they bring with them to classroom, particularly in developmental education reform. She has led state-wide faculty development in curricular cultural responsiveness and worked on legislative efforts to hold the state accountable for college and career readiness. Hillary has managed the state-mandated general education program for a campus of more than 40,000 undergraduates and overseen the required state and accreditation assessment and reporting. More recently, she has taken over the budgeting responsibilities and development of academic interventions for students who are least likely to graduate in four years.

Dr. Procknow earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Louisiana State University, where she focused on the philosophy of education. She also holds a master’s degree in architectural studies and an undergraduate degree in psychology, both from The University of Texas.

hillary.procknow@austin.utexas.edu

Louie Rodriguez (first term: 2025-2028), is Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University of California, Riverside. Rodríguez is a longtime professor in UCR’s Graduate School of Education and served as the school’s interim dean from 2019 to 2022. He earned his doctorate in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005.

Rodríguez is an Inland Empire native who earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, San Bernardino, and then his master’s and doctorate degrees in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. As interim dean at the School of Education, he oversaw a $26 million budget, oversaw enrollment growth, and hired 30% of the school’s faculty. He joined UCR in 2017 and, as associate dean, helped launch a new undergraduate education major for the School of Education. He is the author of four books.

Prior to UCR, he was an associate professor in Educational Leadership and Technology and Co-Director of the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and was also on the faculty at Florida International University in Miami for three years.

louie.rodriguez@ucr.edu

Currently Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Dr. Akua Sarr (first term: 2024-2027) is involved in almost all things related to student academic experience, progress, and success at BC. She has been at Boston College since 2006, and has taught in the Woods College since 2010.

A former Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Sarr spent a research year in Senegal studying women’s movements and the emergence of feminist literature. Her teaching interests include Contemporary Ethnic American Literature, West African literature and film, African retentions in the Americas, and representations of Africa in contemporary African-American literature.

Dr. Sarr earned a B.A. at Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Akua.Sarr@bc.edu

Doneka Scott (first term: 2020-2023; second term: 2023-2026) is the Vice Chancellor and Dean for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs at NC State University. She leads a division dedicated to preparing students to succeed academically, professionally and personally, to embrace a commitment to lifelong learning, and to become informed, engaged, and productive citizens.

Scott joined NC State in 2021 after serving as the Associate Vice Provost and Associate Dean for Student Success, then as the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success at the University of Oregon. There she was responsible for the overall strategy and execution of undergraduate education and student success efforts on campus. She worked to eliminate institutional barriers that prohibit students from being successful and inhibit them from completing a degree program in a timely manner.

With the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, Scott manages the seamless integration of all aspects of undergraduate education, serves as a key strategic advisor to the provost and works to support the success of the whole student. Working closely with the Chancellor’s Cabinet, college deans, university faculty, and administrative colleagues, she leads all aspects of an innovative and coordinated delivery of student services.

Scott directs staff and resources to maximize impact on the curricular and co-curricular programs of the university, including the programs and services of University College; academic advising; academic enrichment programs; Exploratory Studies; cross-college interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs; advising technology; Health and Exercise Studies; Music; undergraduate courses, curricula and academic standards; Arts NC State (NC State LIVE, Crafts Center, Dance Program, Gregg Museum, University Theater, and Ticket Central); academic success programs; business administration, residential programs, and engagement; student development, health, and wellness. In addition to these areas, Scott also oversees the Office of Academic Support Programs for Student Athletes; assessment; development; student ombuds; and marketing and communications for the division.

doneka@ncsu.edu

Patrick Turner (first term: 2023-2026) has over 25 years of working in higher education, specializing in the areas of academic affairs, student support services, faculty development, curricula analytics student and persistence. Patrick serves as Associate Provost for Student Success and Innovation at Clark Atlanta University. He holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration, a master’s degree in Human Resource Development, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership-Curriculum and Instruction.

Patrick previously held a similar post at New Mexico State University, where he collaborated with the Provost, Deans, Department Heads, Student Affairs, diversity programs, two-year colleges, and local high schools to address issues of social justice and educational access. With a research focus on the first-year experience, student retention, persistence, and academic success, his body of work investigates institutional factors that support or act as a barrier to the academic and social integration of students, particularly those from underrepresented, marginalized, and minoritized populations. Three years ago, Dr. Turner established the Men of Color Initiative at New Mexico State University which takes an asset-based approach to developing and engaging the intersecting identities of our male students.

The changing landscape of higher education requires leaders who have a comprehensive understanding of the nuanced and complex lives of a diverse population, possess the ability to navigate internal and external pressing issues, and take a student-centered approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Turner’s career has been spent working with students, faculty, staff, and institutions on integrating and operationalizing practices such as inclusive excellence, universal design learning, experiential learning, belonging & social identities, curricular complexity, and engaging a diverse population. In order to prepare students for the 21st century, institutions must reimagine and redefine the concept of student success.

Additionally, Dr. Turner is the Co-Principal Investigator (PI) on several grants through Undergraduate Education Research Universities (UERU) and APLU that analyze the impact of inclusive excellence and curricular analytics on generating equity in academic outcomes and closing the opportunity gap. Leadership services roles include membership on the Provost Council of African American Affairs, Western Land-grant Cluster for Association of Public Land Grant University (APLU), editorial board member for the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success (JPSS) at Florida State University, President of the National Organization of Student Success-Southwest chapter (NOSS) and professional coach for Complete College American (CCA) leadership academy for Predominantly Black and Historically Black Community Colleges (PBI/HBCU).

pturner@cau.edu

Nikos Varelas, Past President (first term: 2022-2026) is the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Student Success, and Effectiveness and Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois Chicago. He works directly with the Provost and Chancellor to provide academic leadership to the university in multiple areas, including undergraduate and graduate education, academic advising, student success programming and research, academic programs, assessment, undergraduate student research, accreditation, summer programs, and transfer pathways.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Varelas has served as Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Effectiveness (2022-2024) and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Academic Programs (2016-2022) where he initiated and advanced an array of innovative campus wide student success programs, contributing to significant improvements in student achievement and success. Dr. Varelas also serves as the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Liaison Officer for UIC and led the campus efforts for the recent 10-year comprehensive accreditation review. Before his Vice Provost positions, Dr. Varelas served as Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Varelas’ research is in the field of high-energy particle physics exploring the fundamental constituents of the universe and their interactions. He was a member of the team of scientists who discovered the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland in 2012. He has held several leadership positions in his field and his publication record exceeds 1,800 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a University of Illinois Scholar. Dr. Varelas earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Rochester.

varelas@uic.edu

Steven P. Dandaneau (ex officio, non-voting) is Executive Director of the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities and Associate Provost at Colorado State University. In these roles, Dr. Dandaneau provides executive leadership for a national consortium of leading research universities focused on innovation and excellence in undergraduate education and he collaborates with colleagues to strengthen the undergraduate experience at CSU. Dr. Dandaneau previously served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies at Kansas State University; Associate Provost and Director of the Chancellor’s Honors and Halsam Scholars Programs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Visiting Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park; and Director, University Honors & John W. Berry, Sr. Scholars Programs at the University of Dayton. He earned a B.A. in Economics (with honors) from Michigan State University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Brandeis University.

Steven.Dandaneau@colostate.edu