Marblehead Resident Named Salem State Arts and Sciences College Dean

SALEM, MA — A Marblehead resident who came to the town from Colorado will be the new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Salem State University starting this summer.

Brian Vanden Heuvel was most recently associate provost for academic planning and assessment and professor of biology at Stonehill College in Easton.

"I am thrilled to join the Salem State community and work with the dedicated faculty and staff to offer our students, and the North Shore, excellent teaching and learning opportunities that advance the mission and vision of the university," Vanden Heuvel said. "I find value in working at an institution that serves the region and the community, a community that my family calls home.

"I am excited to grow relationships and partnerships for the College of Arts and Sciences, within academic affairs, university divisions, and across the state."

He held multiple positions in 17 years at Colorado State University-Pueblo, a regional public Hispanic Serving Institution in southeastern Colorado, including professor, chairperson of biology and executive director of undergraduate studies.

Vanden Heuvel holds a Ph.D. in botany from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor's degree in botany from Colorado State University, where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

"I look forward to Dr. Vanden Heuvel bringing his extensive experience in academic leadership to Salem State University," Salem State President John Keenan said. "Dr. Vanden Heuvel has a record of helping academic programs thrive, and I look forward to what his leadership will bring as our
institution prepares to help the North Shore region thrive in the decades ahead."

Vanden Heuvel's appointment is effective on July 2.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)