Fairfield University Announces New Provost | Press Releases

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (February 26, 2018)— Fairfield University’s President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, is pleased to announce that Christine Siegel, PhD will become Fairfield University’s Provost effective July 1, 2018. Dr. Siegel’s appointment follows an extensive national search, which yielded an impressive pool of candidates that included both sitting deans and provosts.

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

Since January 1, 2017, when Dr. 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. 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.

Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200- acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.