Widener Announces New Provost
Widener University President Julie E. Wollman today announced the appointment of Andrew A. Workman, PhD as the next provost of the university.
My academic and administrative experience has prepared me to help lead a dynamic university like Widener. Its history of growth and change demonstrates the university’s willingness to make the strategic moves that strengthen its core programs, embrace new opportunities, and move it toward an even stronger national profile. I am excited for the opportunity to contribute my talents at such a vibrant place. —Andrew Workman
Workman, who is currently the interim president of Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, will begin his new position in July. He will serve as the chief academic officer at Widener, comprising the main campus in Chester, Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Delaware Law School in Wilmington, Delaware. As provost, Workman will play a significant role in advancing Widener’s ongoing growth as a thriving, nationally-ranked university that offers innovative programs, taught by faculty who are leaders in their fields, and that puts students on an inside track to success. He will oversee the full student experience, including student affairs and academic affairs.
Workman served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Roger Williams from 2012 to last year, when he accepted the role of interim president. As provost, he co-led a yearlong visioning project that charted a new mission for the university’s future, and he oversaw the expansion of the university’s civic engagement and experiential learning programs. Workman also enhanced student support programs by integrating them with academics, led a multifaceted retention and graduation initiative, and advanced a campus-wide diversity initiative. He achieved those successes while also expanding and improving the curriculum and overhauling the university’s academic technology infrastructure.
Prior to his time at Roger Williams, Workman served as a tenured professor of history and in several administrative positions at Mills College in Oakland, California. From his first position as chair of the history program, he rose to serve as associate provost for academic affairs and then vice provost. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and social theory from New College of Florida, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in history, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Workman to Widener,” Wollman said. “He is the ideal person to fill this important role. As an experienced leader in higher education, he brings to Widener a deep understanding of what it takes to pursue excellence, build on innovation, and move a university forward with programs and people devoted to student success.”
Workman said he believes the strength of American universities lies in their ability to change in ways that are authentic to their mission – something Widener has done as it evolved from its early years as Pennsylvania Military College to the modern university of today, while always remaining student centered.
