Two Women Who Have Been Appointed to Provost Positions

Marion Underwood, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences and distinguished professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, has been appointed provost and executive vice president at Colorado State University. She will begin her new duties on January 1.

Dr. Underwood began her professional career in 1991 as an assistant professor of psychology at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where she earned tenure before moving to the University of Texas at Dallas in 1998. There, she was associate dean of programs and administration in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences from 2013-15 before becoming dean of graduate studies and associate provost. She is the author of Social Aggression Among Girls (The Guilford Press, 2003).

Dr. Underwood is a graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University.

Sandra Hamar is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Columbia College in Missouri. She had been serving as dean of the School of Public Service at the college.

Dr. Hamar joined Columbia College in 2017 as an associate professor of education. She began serving as chair of the education department in 2020 and was interim dean of the former School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and the School of Business. Before coming to Columbia College, Dr. Hamar served as associate dean for the Gleazer School of Education Undergraduate Programs and assistant professor of education at Graceland University in Iowa.

Dr. Hamar earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Graceland University. She holds a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a doctorate in educational organizational leadership from Grand Canyon University.