12:00 p.m. (EST) |
What does it take to lead transformative innovation in higher education?
In this dynamic webinar, Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner will facilitate a panel discussion featuring provosts who have successfully implemented groundbreaking changes on their campuses. Through candid conversations, panelists will share personal stories and actionable insights on fostering a culture of creativity, building coalitions, and navigating the complexities of academic governance. Learn how to spark bold ideas, overcome resistance, and drive innovation that inspires and endures. This session is designed for leaders who want to leave a lasting impact on their institutions and create pathways for sustainable growth and transformation.
Senior Higher Education Leader | Author | Scholar | Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner is an experienced senior higher education leader, having most recently served as Provost & Executive Vice President at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington (2020-2024). Currently, on sabbatical editing The Provost's Handbook, which will be published by the Johns Hopkins University Press in 2025, he is also working on his tenth book, EDU 2.0: Future-Proofing Higher Education with Integrative Learning.
Prior to joining Whitworth, he was Acting Provost, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Humanities at North Park University in Chicago (2016–2020). Earlier in his career, he was Chair of the Department of Languages and Linguistics (2006–2012) and Professor of German and Linguistics at Gordon College (2003–2016), where he received the Distinguished Junior Faculty Award in 2006.
A Past President of the Association of Chief Academic Officers, he is currently a Special Advisor to the Board. He serves on the Board of the American Association of University Administrators (2024-2027) and was also on the CAO Institute Taskforce of the Council of Independent Colleges (2023–2024). Previously, he served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (2017–2019), President of the Austrian Studies Association (2018–2020), and a Board Member of ACAD (2018–2023). From 2017–2020, he was a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and since 2020, he has been chairing accreditation site visits for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
Thuswaldner holds degrees in German and English Studies from the University of Vienna and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Ph.D.) and has an additional Master's in Higher Education Administration from North Park University in Chicago. As a committed lifelong learner, he has earned several certificates, including certificates in Fund Raising Management (Lilly School of Philanthropy, Indiana University) and Mediation Skills Training (Northwestern University).
An elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Leadership Fellow of the Society of Leadership Fellows at St. George's House, Windsor Castle, Thuswaldner also serve as an advisory board member of the Stefan Zweig Centre at the University of Salzburg, Austria, and as a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Austrian Studies, Delos: A Journal of Translation and World Literature, and the Journal of Higher Education Management.
Our Panel
Patricia E. Salkin is the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost for the Graduate and Professional Divisions at Touro University. She is the former dean of the Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, where she remains an active professor of law. She is the author of more than 100 books, articles, chapters, and columns, including scholarly works on higher education leadership, such as May It Please the Campus: Lawyers Leading Higher Education (2022). Salkin serves on the Empire State College Council and on the board of the Association of Chief Academic Officers. She is a peer reviewer for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has served as a peer reviewer for the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education.
Before joining Touro University, Salkin was the Raymond and Ella Smith Distinguished Professor of Law at Albany Law School, where she also served as associate dean and director of the Government Law Center. She has served as a trustee of the Long Island Regional Council on Higher Education and was a member of the advisory board of Rockefeller College at the University at Albany.
Salkin holds a JD from Albany Law School, a certificate in corporate board leadership from Empire State College, and a PhD in creativity from the University of the Arts.
Dr. Amy Rell is the Provost of the College for Financial Planning, serving as the College’s Chief Academic Officer. Her role includes stewardship for the College’s academic programs, creation and implementation of the academic priorities for the College and assuring the quality of the College’s educational offerings. Amy has served in a variety of academic roles at UCLA, San Jose State University, Regis University, and the Colorado Community College System in positions ranging from faculty to department chair to Dean.
Amy has an extensive background in higher education administration, which has made her a sought-after speaker at conferences and symposiums. Her research and writing on topics such as internationalization, cultural diversity, dual language programming, and globalization of curricula have been published in numerous journals and texts. In service to the profession, Amy has served as an executive board member for the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s Study Colorado, the Hispanic Chamber Education Foundation, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities International Education Board, and the Phi Beta Kappa and UCLA Alumni Association Scholarship Committees.
Inducted into Phi Beta Kapa, Amy was subsequently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, and the Association of International Education Administrator’s Presidential Fellowship. Amy completed the Harvard University Women in Leadership certificate program as well as the Duke University Senior International Officer Academy. Amy earned both her Ph.D. and her Master of Arts in Second Language Acquisition and Spanish Applied Linguistics from UCLA and her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from Tulane University.
Servet M. Yatin. PhD assumed the position of provost and chief academic officer at Quincy College, Massachusetts, in 2021 after serving as interim senior vice president of academic affairs and professor of chemistry. Yatin received her PhD in biophysical chemistry from the University of Kentucky before going on to a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School.bIn 2008, she also earned an MBA in entrepreneurship from Babson College. While a full-time faculty member, she served as chair of numerous committees, including assessment, policies and procedures, program review, and, ultimately, the college senate.
As provost and chief academic officer, she oversees a multicampus system encompassing Quincy, Plymouth, and Boston locations, along with the online campus. In addition to successfully overseeing regional and programmatic accreditations, she has advanced the college with innovative programs and partnerships. Most notably, under Yatin’s leadership, Quincy College became the first and thus far only community college in Massachusetts to offer baccalaureate degrees, and she continues to oversee all facets of the BS programs while expanding the number of high-impact associate degree and certificate programs.
An entrepreneur and experienced change agent, she worked with college leadership, faculty, and staff to develop a meaningful and actionable strategic plan that prioritizes new student enrollment and retention, institutional effectiveness, strategic partnerships, academic excellence, and faculty scholarship. To support institutional effectiveness and operational efficiency, Yatin led a college-wide data democratization initiative, bringing together all areas of the College to implement the first data warehouse. In addition to her work at Quincy College, Yatin is the founder of Tangi Learning Center and is a board member of Orhan Gunduz Memorial School and the Association of Chief Academic Officers. A licensed pilot, Yatin is an active volunteer for Above the Clouds and Angel Flight.
