Aurora University Names New VP for Academic Affairs

Submitted by Aurora University

AURORA, Illinois — Aurora University has named Frank M. Buscher, Ph.D., as its new vice president for academic affairs. Buscher comes to AU from Christian Brothers University (Memphis), where he served as vice president of academics and student life from 2008 to 2015.

Trained as a historian, Buscher also has a distinguished record as a teacher, researcher and scholar, particularly in the area of war crimes, a topic on which he has published extensively. He received both his doctorate in modern European history and his master’s degree in history from Marquette University.

Buscher arrives at the university during an exciting period of rising enrollments and physical expansion, which includes the university’s recently announced plan to build a 45-acre outdoor athletics complex near its west Aurora campus.

Buscher said he hopes to build on that momentum by bringing a strong entrepreneurial spirit to the position, noting that he will continue the university’s tradition of responsiveness to students’ academic and career needs.

“Aurora University has experienced impressive growth in recent years, and is clearly on the right trajectory,” he said. “I look forward to working with President Sherrick and the campus community to identify new promising programs and to strengthen existing ones even further. I also relish the opportunity to become a member of a community of scholars that has experienced significant growth in recent years.”

Aurora University President Rebecca Sherrick said Dr. Buscher’s record of success is truly impressive.

“As his accomplishments at Christian Brothers University show, he is committed to student learning and retention, creating new and innovative academic programming, and working collaboratively with both faculty and the administration. His unique set of skills and experience will be of great value to the university as we continue to fulfill our vision of being an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning.”