Provost appointments
Riordan named vice provost for research, Guerra associate provost for international programs
8:25 a.m., Aug. 31, 2012--University of Delaware Interim Provost Nancy Brickhouse has announced two appointments in the Provost’s Office. Charles Riordan has been named vice provost for research and Nancy Guerra has been named associate provost for international programs. Both appointments are effective Sept. 1.
Riordan will succeed Mark Barteau, now the DTE Energy Professor of Advanced Energy Research and director of the Energy Institute at the University of Michigan. Guerra succeeds Matthew Robinson, who returns to the faculty in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics.
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“Charlie is well known across campus for the excellent leadership he has provided as vice provost for graduate and professional education,” said Brickhouse. “His broad view of the University, distinguished research accomplishments, and strategic vision have garnered the respect of faculty and students and make him an ideal fit for this position.”
Guerra, she adds, will bring “considerable administrative and international experience” to the role of associate provost, a position that reports to the Office of the Deputy Provost. “Nancy is a world-renowned scholar with a strong record of success in and out of academe,” Brickhouse said. “Her vast experience and expertise will no doubt help to elevate our international stature and reputation.”
“Nancy’s commitment to promoting a global agenda at UD that builds on our excellent study abroad programs, enhances services for international students, and promotes interdisciplinary collaborations in research and teaching with a global focus is truly exciting,” adds Ann Ardis, interim deputy provost.
Vice Provost for Research
The vice provost for research is responsible for advancing the University's research enterprise, including oversight of six University-wide research institutes.
Riordan is an inorganic-organometallic chemist whose research is supported by the National Science Foundation. He joined the UD faculty in 1997 and from 2002-07 served as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Riordan served on the UD Path to Prominence strategic planning committee, received the University's outstanding doctoral graduate advising and mentoring award in 2008, and has served on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry and Dalton Transactions.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and most recently served as vice provost for graduate and professional education. The Office of the Provost is currently in the process of examining plans to fill his previous position.
Associate Provost for International Programs
The associate provost for international programs oversees the Institute for Global Studies, the Office for International Students and Scholars and the operations of the Confucius Institute.
Guerra joined the UD faculty from the University of California, Riverside, in 2011, serving in the 2011-12 school year as associate dean for research in the College of Arts and Sciences, director of the Global Research Consortium, and professor in the Department of Psychology.
Her research is in the area of youth behavior and understanding and preventing children's aggression. Her international projects focus on positive youth development and human rights and have been supported by the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and USAID.
Most recently, Guerra was awarded the Walter Murdoch Distinguished Professor Award from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. The award provides a three-year adjunct appointment in the Faculty of Health Sciences, where she will spend two weeks a year collaborating with and mentoring junior faculty.
Article by Artika Rangan Casini
Photos by Evan Krape and Kathy F. Atkinson