Rebecca Thomas Named Associate Provost for Faculty Advancement

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Rebecca Thomas has accepted the offer to serve as UK’s next associate provost for faculty advancement, effective July 7. 

Dr. Thomas comes to UK from Transylvania University, where she has served as the executive vice president for academic affairs and dean of the university since 2020. In this role, she provided strategic and operational leadership for academic affairs functions and ensured the academic integrity of courses and programs. She helped initiate and develop new minors through a faculty-centered process.

Dr. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University, as well as expertise in the area of information technology. Prior to serving at Transylvania University, she held various leadership roles at Earlham College and Bard College.

I know you will join me in congratulating and welcoming Dr. Thomas to our campus. Her experience overseeing faculty services and working with faculty will translate well to the powerful faculty environment we have at UK. I am confident that she will continue demonstrating exemplary leadership for our faculty community and help us continue building our teaching, research and service missions. 

Please also join me in thanking Dr. Lisa Tannock for her service and leadership to UK as she begins a new phase in her career as dean of Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. 

Robert S. DiPaola 
Provost