Fairfield University Announces New Provost

FAIRFIELD, CT — Christine Siegel has been named Fairfield University’s new provost following an extensive national search, Fairfield University President Dr. Mark R. Nemec announced on Monday. Siegel's appointment, which is effective July 1, follows an extensive national search, which yielded an impressive pool of candidates that included both sitting deans and provosts, according to officials.

“I am delighted that Dr. Siegel has accepted our offer to become Fairfield University’s next Provost,” Nemec said in a press release. “I am confident Dr. Siegel will build on her distinguished record as we continue to evolve as a modern Jesuit Catholic institution.”

Since Jan. 1, 2017, when Siegel assumed leadership for the Academic Division as interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, her vision has been instrumental in leading a number of significant initiatives, including hiring key academic personnel, reshaping the role of Fairfield’s academic centers, enhancing classroom technology resources, leading a successful accreditation process and refreshing both the Honors Program and the Core Curriculum, according to the press release. Read more from Fairfield University below:

Prior to that point, as vice provost, Dr. Siegel was instrumental in writing the University’s strategic plan, establishing frameworks for student learning assessment, and advancing inclusive excellence initiatives.

Dr. Siegel joined the Fairfield University faculty in 2005 as an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, and was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2008. Since then, Dr. Siegel has assumed increasingly significant administrative responsibilities at the University, serving as GSEAP’s associate dean, continuing to the position of associate vice president, and then to vice provost and finally, interim provost and senior vice president.

Dr. Siegel earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Statistics in 1998 from State University of New York at Albany. A licensed psychologist, she worked in a variety of k-12 educational settings prior to transitioning to higher education. Her academic expertise in developmental psychology, learning theory and educational assessment supports her scholarly work examining teaching and learning that has yielded numerous publications and professional conference presentations. Dr. Siegel’s accomplishments were recently reviewed by the Committee on Rank and Tenure. Based on the Committee’s recommendation, she has been granted the rank of professor.

Photo via Fairfield University