Saba Rasheed Ali has been promoted to associate provost for graduate and professional education and dean of the Graduate College at the University of Iowa. She has held the role on an interim basis since July 2025. Dr. Ali, a professor of counseling psychology, has taught at the University of Iowa for over two decades. Earlier in her tenure, she was associate dean for research in the College of Education.
Dr. Ali holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in community counseling from Loyola University Chicago, and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Oregon.
Beth Meyerand was named vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Rhode Island. She most recently served as associate dean of the Graduate School and the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the departments of medical physics and biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over her three decades at Wisconsin, she served in other leadership roles, including department chair and vice provost for faculty and staff affairs.
Dr. Meyerand is a graduate of Yale University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. She holds a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in biophysics from the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Carolyn Henry was named dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas. She comes to her new role from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, where she previously served as the first-ever woman dean. Dr. Henry has been serving as director of the college’s Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction. A veterinary oncologist, she specializes in general practice, emergency medicine, cancer care, and clinical trials.
Dr. Henry received her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Auburn University in Alabama. After practicing small animal and emergency medicine, she returned to Auburn to complete a master’s degree and residency in oncology.
Libby Metcalf has been appointed dean of the University of Montana’s W.A. College of Forestry and Conservation, making her the first woman to lead the college in its 112-year history. A full professor with the college, Dr. Metcalf will also serve as director of the Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station. Earlier in her tenure, she was the college’s senior associate dean and the Joel Meier Distinguished Professor of Wildland Management.
Dr. Metcalf is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, where she earned two bachelor’s degrees in recreation and leisure studies and relational communication. She earned her master’s degree in recreation, parks, and tourism resources from West Virginia University and her doctorate in recreation, parks, and tourism management from Pennsylvania State University.
Carol Bradford was named interim executive vice president for health affairs and interim dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School. For the past five years, Dr. Bradford has served as dean of the Ohio State University College of Medicine and vice president for health sciences at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. A physician-scientist in the field of otolaryngology, she previously worked for the University of Michigan as executive vice dean of academic affairs and chief academic officer for Michigan Medicine.
Dr. Bradford earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan, where she also completed her residency in otolaryngology.
Stephanie L. Kirschmann has been appointed vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. Most recently, Dr. Kirschmann was chief administrative officer for Trinity Medical Sciences University in Georgia. Earlier, she spent seven years as vice president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. She has also held leadership roles with LeTourneau University in Texas, Richmont Graduate University in Nashville, and Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee.
Dr. Kirschmann earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Adventist University. She holds a doctorate in higher education policy from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.