Barbara Rodriguez is the new provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. She has served as interim provost for the past year.
Prior to her interim appointment, Dr. Rodriguez spent seven years as senior vice provost for academic affairs. A faculty member since 1999, she is a full professor and former chair of the department of speech and hearing sciences. Earlier in her career, she worked as a bilingual clinician throughout New Mexico, including in K-12 public education settings. She also directed the UNM Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic from 1992 to 1994.
“It is an honor to serve the university in this capacity,” said Dr. Rodriguez. “UNM has been my professional home for more than 25 years, and I have seen firsthand the difference this institution makes in the lives of students and communities across New Mexico. I am committed to working alongside [incoming UNM President Steve Goldstein] and the entire Lobo community to build on our momentum and ensure UNM continues to deliver on its promise to the people of this state.”
Dr. Rodriguz earned her bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders and her master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of New Mexico. She holds a Ph.D. in speech-language pathology from the University of Washington.
Bridget Chalk was promoted from interim provost to permanent provost at Manhattan University in New York.
Dr. Chalk first joined the university in 2009 as an assistant professor of English and achieved the rank of full professor in 2020. She has served as associate dean of the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences and as associate provost. A scholar of twentieth- and twenty-first-century British and Anglophone literature, Dr. Chalk focuses her work on novel studies, narrative theory, and liberal arts education.
“It is a distinct honor to assume the provost position at Manhattan University,” said Dr. Chalk. “I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow faculty members with the goal of ever-strengthening our highly regarded student-focused teaching, coupled with strong research undertakings in a university that covets the integration of the liberal arts and professional degrees.”
Dr. Chalk is a graduate of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where she majored in English. She received her master’s degree and Ph.D. in English and American literature from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Following one year of interim service, Jaci Lederman was officially named provost, vice president of instructional services, and dean of the faculty at Vincennes University in Indiana.
Professor Lederman began her career at Vincennes in 2011 as a faculty member in the information technology department, which she chaired from 2017 to 2022. She went on to serve as the university’s director of enterprise applications and as the executive director of information technology and chief information officer. Before her career in academia, Professor Lederman held various roles within the information technology industry for nearly 20 years.
“I am deeply honored to accept this role permanently and to continue serving the VU community,” said Professor Lederman. “VU has a rich history of transforming lives through accessible, high-quality educational programs, and I look forward to working alongside our talented faculty and staff to build on that legacy.”
After receiving her associate’s degree in computer programming from Vincennes University, Professor Lederman earned her bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix and her MBA from Western Governors University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in education with a concentration in organizational management.