Empowering students to understand their world, their place in it and their ability to effect change
The mission of the Office of the Provost is to fulfill Wheaton’s academic promise for students to become independent problem-solvers and active learners.
by Karen McCormack P’22
Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs; Professor of Sociology; Co-coordinator, Journalism Studies
I have the pleasure of serving in the role of provost (interim) at Wheaton. The position of provost exists almost exclusively within institutions of higher education, and thus the role is often a bit mysterious or at least unfamiliar to people who are new to our campus such as incoming students and their families, industry and professional partners, even our neighbors from the surrounding community.
As is true at many colleges and universities, the Provost at Wheaton is also the Vice President of Academic Affairs. One of the college’s largest divisions, Academic Affairs includes the faculty and academic departments, as well as the many offices and teams that support student academic achievement: the Madeleine Clark Wallace Library; Academic Advising and Accessibility Services; the Office of the Registrar; Global Education, and the Early Education Center; along with the art gallery, Innovation Spaces, and more.
Along with sharing some updates from Academic Affairs, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about the Office of the Provost so that you will know if you might want to reach out to us.
The Provost’s Office works closely with academic departments and programs. As we add new academic majors and minors, we work with faculty to envision and implement these with the support of colleagues across campus. In this year alone, we have launched majors in: Nursing; Criminal Justice, Restorative Justice, and Criminology; Design; Marketing; and Digital Media and Communication. These new programs broaden student choices and bring new students to campus, supporting our robust and vibrant intellectual and residential community.
The college welcomed the inaugural nursing class in September. This spring semester, nursing students like Eoin Morrissey ’27 are looking forward to fully utilizing the new, state-of-the-art nursing labs on campus. Applications for the fall, incoming Class of 2028 nursing major point to a growing interest in Wheaton’s interdisciplinary liberal arts education that emphasizes the strength of diversity, equity and inclusion in health care.
In addition to working with academic departments and programs, our office also engages with our accrediting agency, the New England Commission of Higher Education. This fall, we completed a 5-year report on our progress in multiple areas to show that our policies are aligned with the expectations of the Commission. Accreditation helps to ensure that we are engaged in best practices in the classroom and as an institution.
We also support the efforts of many offices and teams, working to ensure that our outreach and support efforts are reaching all of our students. Whether the Scholar Development Team is offering workshops about national scholarships and fellowships or the manager of the makerspaces is providing training to students on the 3D printers and laser cutters or Academic Advising is helping students with time management or training Peer Academic Mentors, we try to align these efforts.
When might our office be able to help you or your student? If your student has academic concerns they have been unable to address with their faculty, the Office of the Registrar, or the Office of Academic Advising, they (or you) can reach out to us.
We look forward to assisting your student on their academic path. More information about our office is on our website.
Office of the Provost, Park Hall
Phone: 508-286-8212
Email: [email protected]