Katherine Black to Take on Interim Provost Role on July 1

Katherine Black has been appointed interim provost and vice president for academic affairs effective July 1, University of Hartford President Gregory Woodward has announced.

“I am grateful that Dr. Black has agreed to accept this important, temporary leadership role,” Woodward said. “The Board of Regents and I are fully committed to prepare for an open national search process with the support and engagement of the full faculty. We will begin this conversation with the Faculty Senate and, together, will determine our next steps.”

As dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since 2014. Black has launched several new degree programs, including data science, digital media and journalism, computer science and engineering, organizational psychology (online), and integrated communication (online). She has hired more than 50 tenure-track and clinical faculty and increased engagement and staffing for college enrollment efforts. Black has raised more than $1 million for scholarships, faculty development, and student research/internships. She introduced new Learning Beyond the Classroom and Career Preparation requirements into the A&S general education curriculum; facilitated significant diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice initiatives; and created an Outstanding Faculty Award and Board of Advisors Alumni Award. She also served as a site visitor for the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE) accreditation.

 A developmental psychologist by training, Black earned her BA in psychology from Bucknell University and her MA and PhD in psychology from the University of New Hampshire. She joined the faculty at the University of Hartford as an assistant professor in 1998, was tenured and promoted to associate professor, and subsequently to professor. Prior to serving as dean, she served as the assistant provost and dean of graduate studies (and later dean of faculty development), as the chair (and later co-chair) of the Department of Psychology, and as the associate dean for budget and finance in the College of Arts and Sciences. Black was honored with the Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Award in 2012 for distinguished service to the University, an Innovations in Teaching and Learning Award in 2013, and a Martin Luther King Jr. Beloved Community Award in 2022. Committed to ongoing professional development, she has participated in Harvard’s Management Development Program, as well as the Wellesley Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration led by Higher Education Resource Services. 

Woodward also announced that Mark Blackwell, professor of English and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will assume the role of interim dean of A&S during this transition.

Blackwell began at the University of Hartford in 2001 after four years as an assistant professor at California State University, Chico. He was tenured and advanced to associate professor in 2004 and was promoted to professor of English in 2011.

Blackwell has held a number of important roles across the University, including chair of the English Department (2004–08), chair of the Department of Rhetoric and Professional Writing (2005–08), director of the University Honors Program (2009–10), director of the University Preceptor Program (2009–19), and associate dean for curriculum and academic planning in the College of Arts and Sciences (2010–15, 2019–present). He was previously charged with transforming the undergraduate educational experience at the University in our past strategic planning process, and worked with colleagues to implement high-impact practices (HIPs) across the curriculum.

Blackwell earned an AB in English from Princeton University, summa cum laude. He received his PhD from Cornell University, where he was awarded the Guilford Essay Prize for the dissertation exhibiting the highest standard of excellence in English prose.

“Katherine and Mark have each expressed how much the University of Hartford means to them, both personally and professionally.” Woodward added. “I look forward to working with them during this transition.”