Fatma Mili is the new interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
Alongside her new responsibilities, Dr. Mili will continue to serve as interim dean of Montclair State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She began this role in July 2025, following service as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Earlier in her career, Dr. Mili was dean of the College of Computing and Informatics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and department chair and associate dean at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
“I am honored to serve as interim provost and am grateful for the trust [President Jonathan Koppell] and Montclair State University have placed in me,” said Dr. Mili. “Over the past six months as dean, I have seen firsthand that Montclair is a place where imagination meets impact. I look forward to working with our exceptional faculty and staff to accelerate our tradition of innovation. Together we will design new, responsive academic programs and experiences that meet the needs of a changing world and ensure our students achieve life-changing outcomes. Together, we will continue to expand the boundaries of what a public research university can be.”
Dr. Mili holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France.
Rose Marie Ward is provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville.
A professor of psychology, Dr. Ward most recently served as special assistant to the provost at the University of Cincinnati. Earlier in her tenure there, she was vice provost of graduate education and dean of the Graduate College. Prior to joining the University of Cincinnati faculty, Dr. Ward spent two decades serving in several academic and administrative roles at Miami University in Ohio.
“I am thrilled to join Northwest and to come alongside the amazing Bearcat family,” said Dr. Ward. “As an academic leader, I have championed a student-centered focus while harnessing academic excellence for the public good. Together, we can amplify and celebrate the transformational power of the educational experience at Northwest.”
Dr. Ward received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Rhode Island.
KerryAnn O’Meara was named provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. She will begin her appointment on July 1.
Dr. O’Meara brings nearly three decades of higher education experience to her new role. For the past three years, she has been vice president for academic affairs, provost, and dean of Teachers College at Columbia University. Prior to Teachers College, she was a faculty member and leader of strategic initiatives at the University of Maryland for 16 years.
“The pull I have felt toward Fordham — its Jesuit mission, its engagement with New York City, its community — is strong,” said Dr. O’Meara. “I myself was challenged, cared for, and formed by a Jesuit education. It is an honor and privilege to join Fordham at this important time in its history. The world has never needed what Fordham offers more.”
A graduate of Loyola University Maryland, Dr. O’Meara received her master’s degree in higher education administration from Ohio State University and her doctorate in education policy from the University of Maryland.