UIW Welcomes New Provost | A Message from President Evans

Dear students, faculty and staff, 

After a comprehensive national search, I am pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Eva Fernández as UIW’s new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. In this role, Dr. Fernández will oversee the division of Academic Affairs, all academic programs, faculty affairs, research and student success.

With more than 24 years as a faculty member and administrator, Dr. Fernández has led a long and distinguished career in higher education. She comes to UIW from New York, where she served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for Mercy University, the largest private, Hispanic-Serving Institution in the state. Prior to this role, she held leadership and teaching positions at multiple institutions in the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Across institutions, she has led efforts to improve student success, support faculty and curriculum development and advance academic momentum.

I would like to thank the Provost Search Committee who, in partnership with WittKieffer, a national search firm specializing in higher education leadership, led a thorough search with careful deliberation and efficient management resulting in a strong candidate pool and, ultimately, an outstanding appointment.

During her visit to UIW earlier this month, she had an opportunity to engage with our community, meeting with the President’s Executive Committee, the Dean’s Council, members of the faculty and academic leadership and me. Dr. Fernández shared that she was most drawn to UIW for our commitment to providing education that transforms and our Mission to prepare students to be concerned and enlightened citizens in a global community. Her eagerness to foster alignment and build partnerships within our institution and across the world resonated deeply with the search committee and me. She is excited to begin collaborating with our faculty, staff and students and identifying opportunities to build upon our academic strengths.

She assumes her new role on June 1 from Dr. Dimitri Tamalis, who has supported UIW well, steadily stewarding our dynamic academic operations as Interim Provost after the passing of Dr. Farrell Webb. Dr. Tamalis will return to his role as Vice Provost.

This marks an exciting new chapter for our university, as we welcome a leader with exceptional vision and who shares our calling to improve opportunities for all students.

Praised be the Incarnate Word! Sincerely,
 
Thomas M. Evans, PhD
President