Diane Z. Chase has been appointed senior vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Houston System and senior vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Houston.
“I am excited for the opportunity to work alongside a dynamic leader in Chancellor Renu Khator and to lead the academic enterprise of four universities,” said Dr. Chase. “The opportunity to elevate UH, the premier flagship public research university in the fourth largest city in the U.S., to a top 50 public university is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
Dr. Chase joins the University of Houston from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, where she served since 2019 as vice president for academic innovation, student success, and strategic initiatives. She has more than 40 years of experience in academia, including more than 20 years in leadership positions. Dr. Chase served as vice provost for academic program quality at the University of Central Florida before moving to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2016 as executive vice president and provost.
Dr. Chase’s research focuses on the nexus of history and archaeology, complex societies, sustainability, and urbanism in reconstructing past lifeways of the ancient Maya. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania.