About Us

Joan Saab
Joan Saab is the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. As the chief academic officer, she is responsible for the academic mission of the University including the curriculum, research programs, academic budgets, and faculty development.
She previously served as the Susan B. Anthony Professor of Art History and executive vice provost of academic affairs at the University of Rochester as well as the interim dean of the faculty of Arts, Sciences, & Engineering. In her time at Rochester, Saab has also worked as director of the graduate program in Visual and Cultural Studies and chair of the Department of Art and Art History. Her accomplishments include funding from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Getty Research Center at UCLA, as well as a University of Rochester Provost’s Research Grant.
Her first book, For the Millions: American Art and Culture Between the Wars, was the inaugural volume in the “Arts and Intellectual Life in Modern America series,” published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. Her most recent book, Objects of Vision: Making Sense of What We See, is part of the “Studies in Sensory History Series” at Pennsylvania State University Press. She is the author of the interactive, digital book project Searching for Siqueiros, written on the digital publishing platform Scalar, and the lead editor for the Wiley Blackwell Companion to Visual Culture. She is currently completing a manuscript tentatively entitled Tales From the Crypt: Vincent Price and American Visual Culture. She is a sought-after scholar and presenter for invited talks, symposia, and conferences.
Dr. Saab earned her undergraduate degree in English and art history from Tufts University, her master's in American Civilization with a concentration on material culture and museum studies from The George Washington University, and her Ph.D. in American Studies at New York University.

Dr. Linda Boland, Associate Provost for Faculty
804-289-8571
Primary Responsibilities
- Faculty Hiring, Credentialing, and Advancement
- Faculty Enrichment Programs
- Faculty Awards and Recognition
- Primary Liaison for Research Compliance
- Faculty Work/ Life Balance

Dr. Carol Parish, Associate Provost for Academic Integration
804-484-1548
Primary Responsibilities
- Undergraduate Student Initiatives and High Impact Practices
- Integrate the Academic Experience Across the Curriculum, Among Schools, and in Co-Curricular Affairs
- Academic Program Reviews
- Interdisciplinary Programs Across Schools
- Strengthening and Building Academic Programs

Brittany Taylor Schaal, Director of Operations
804-289-8855
Primary Responsibilities
- Provost Office Communications
- Operations and Administration
- Coordinate Between Provost & President’s Office
- Staff the Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management Committee
- Manage Administrative Personnel

Janet Groessler, Executive Assistant to EVP and Provost
804-287-6357
Primary Responsibilities
- Provost’s Calendar
- Faculty Senate
- Tenure and Promotion Management
- Website Management
- Listserv Management
- Events

Rose Nicholson, Project Specialist
804-484-1604
Primary Responsibilities
- Support Associate Provost for Faculty
- Support Associate Provost for Academic Integration
- Events
- Student Commencement Awards
- Grant Request Administrative Management