As Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Wolfe will work closely with President Parlange and stakeholders across our campuses on advancing the University in several key areas and particularly in the implementation of our 10-year strategic plan. She will bolster our efforts in research and scholarship; sharpen the focus of and build on our core academic strengths; and improve faculty support and development. She will help drive initiatives that impact our community, including strengthening our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; championing URI’s enrollment strategy; enhancing the student experience and continuing to advance student success. Finally, she will help us adopt more innovative operational and financial processes that strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional educational programming and care for our community.

Barbara E. Wolfe was appointed Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of RI. Dr. Wolfe was selected after an extensive national search and will assumed the role Jan. 1, 2023. Dr. Wolfe is a successful scholar, researcher, and educator, who has skillfully led the College of Nursing since joining the University in 2016. Prior to URI, she was the associate dean of research at the Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing. She is an accessible and empathetic leader with a deep appreciation and commitment to advancing our land- and sea-grant missions. At the college, she has built research strength in several ways, including implementing the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program; raising the level of federal research and training grant funding; creating an environment that supports research endeavors; and bolstering the number of annual faculty publications and external grants. She is an innovative academic administrator with a track record of success, including breaking into U.S. News and World Report’s Top 50 rankings for master’s nursing education; creating, implementing, and completing a five-year strategic plan; increasing the number of college faculty inducted into the American Academy of Nursing; and implementing a shared governance model for the college.

Dr. Wolfe is also active in her field and has lectured in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and served as a research associate at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She has numerous publications in prominent academic and medical journals, particularly on her research in psychiatry and mental health, and her work on eating disorders earned her National Institutes of Health funding and induction as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing and the International Eating Disorders Research Society. She is a past president of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and has served on numerous national committees. Dean Wolfe has earned several accolades and awards, including the Mary A. Manning Nurse Mentoring Award; American Psychiatric Nurses Association Recognition of Service; a Yale School of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award; and induction into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Syracuse University, a Master of Science degree in psychiatric mental health nursing from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in nursing from Boston College.

The Provost delegates some of the responsibilities of the Office of the Provost to the:

• Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Initiatives
• Vice Provost for Academic Personnel and Budget
• Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success
• Special Assistant for Academic Planning
• Special Assistant for Global Partnerships and Programs
• Assistant Vice President for Office of Financial Strategy & Planning

And to the following for the colleges and other academic services:

• Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
• Dean of the College of Business
• Dean of the College of Engineering
• Dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences
• Dean of the Graduate School
• Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography
• Dean of the College of Health Sciences
• Dean of the College of Nursing
• Dean of the College of Pharmacy
• Executive Director of Undergraduate Student Success and Academic Support
• Dean of the College of Education
• Chief Information Officer for Technology and Information Services