Provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

With great pleasure, I write to announce that Karen Colley, PhD, who has served as acting provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs during the university’s leadership transition, has been appointed provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs for a two-year period, effective July 21, 2023. This appointment has been approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Provost Colley’s contributions to UIC are extraordinary. She has held many positions, including both as professor in the UIC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and the dean of the Graduate College. She also previously served as interim university librarian and dean of libraries, as well as a prior stint as acting provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2021.

As acting provost this past year, Colley completed the search for, and hiring of, the current dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Lisa Freeman, and most recently, the dean of the College of Business Administration, Sandy Wayne. We have had two great successes with these recent appointments.

Provost Colley also took the lead on the Faculty Senate’s charge to address student safety in the classroom. She personally directed the deliberations of the committee and is currently crafting guidelines, including a process for students, faculty, and administrators to follow that will include the creation of a Learning Environments Intervention Team available to assist department unit executive officers and deans with decisions about which approaches to take.

Demonstrating her proactive approach to leadership, several months ago, Provost Colley, in anticipation of the recent Supreme Court decision, assembled a task force with representatives from each of UIC’s 16 colleges and student-facing units. The task force has inventoried all activities, initiatives, and programs that might be affected by the decision and will work with legal counsel to craft a uniform UIC response. She (and I) remain resolute in our commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus community.

UIC’s mission to provide the broadest possible access to the highest levels of educational, research, and clinical excellence resonates deeply with Karen. She has already been a tremendous source of advice and good counsel to me, and I look forward to our continued work together.

Please join me in thanking Provost Colley for her energy, leadership, and service and in welcoming her as our provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

With my very best regards,

Marie Lynn Miranda, PhD
Chancellor