Staff Directory

Rebecca Ropers

Vice Provost
110 Morrill Hall
(612) 626-9545
[email protected]

Rebecca Ropers began her work as Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs in January of 2016. In this role, she is primarily responsible for promotion and tenure processes, faculty and academic leadership development, new faculty orientation, faculty recognition and reviews, and supporting and maximizing the potential of faculty in their scholarly contributions especially as aligned with the strategic plan.

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Additionally, she is broadly and collaboratively responsible for promoting an environment in which a diverse faculty are recruited and supported as they enrich the ability of the University to fulfill its mission.

Ropers brings to this role experience as a faculty member studying equity and change in higher education for twenty years, leading the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Louisiana State University and of the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota, directing a Women’s Center, and editing the international journal Feminist Formations. Additionally, she served in faculty governance, including as chair of the faculty governance executive body at the University from 2014-15.  In spring of 2014, she was Fulbright-Klagenfurt Visiting Professor in Higher Education Research in Vienna, studying how gender mainstreaming policy was enacted  or resisted in Austrian universities and throughout the European Higher Education Area. She has published four books and more than 50 scholarly works related to equity, diversity, and change in higher education and has advised 40 doctoral students to completion. Drawing on her scholarship and professional experience, Ropers grounds her scholarship and leadership in an understanding of the social role of higher education in creating inclusive and engaged communities.

Ole Gram

Associate Vice Provost
110 Morrill Hall
(612) 624-5082
[email protected]

Ole Gram's primary responsibilities include implementation of key policies and initiatives, development and review of policies related to evaluation of teaching, outside professional commitments, promotion and tenure processes, responses to faculty issues, faculty leaves, salary equity, faculty awards, and faculty and department head/chair professional development.

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He serves as the University's liaison to the Big Ten Academic Alliance Department Executive Officer program and oversees the University's multi-campus implementation of the Works faculty activity reporting system.

He joined the Office for Faculty and Academic Affairs in 2010 and has extensive professional experience in higher education.

Key responsibilities/key contact:

  • Policy review and implementation (evaluation of teaching, outside professional commitment, promotion and tenure, faculty development leaves)
  • Promotion and tenure processes
  • Post-tenure review processes
  • Faculty salary equity review processes
  • COACHE faculty satisfaction survey
  • Faculty and Chairs/Heads leadership and development programs
  • Oversight of the Works faculty activity reporting system implementation

Jaclyn Adair

Assistant to the Vice Provost
(612) 625-5652
[email protected]

Jaclyn assists the vice provost through the coordination of central University processes related to promotion and tenure, annual reviews of probationary faculty, extensions of the probationary period, external tenured hires, single semester leaves and sabbaticals. She serves as the college and campus point person for these areas and joined Faculty and Academic Affairs in October, 2012. She has worked at the University of Minnesota since 2008 after earning a B.A in art.

Chris Bremer

Faculty Awards Coordinator
(612) 625-6176
[email protected]

Chris’s portfolio in Faculty and Academic Affairs includes promoting the nomination of faculty for significant external awards and managing the nomination and selection processes for University-wide McKnight and teaching awards. She also works with members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers to plan, implement, and evaluate projects to improve teaching and learning across the University. The Scholars Walk is one way the University recognizes distinguished scholars; Chris is part of the team responsible for updates and improvements. Chris joined the office in September 2012 and has worked at the University since 2000, after completing a Ph.D. in work, community and family education in CEHD.

Liz Engelmeier

Works Project Manager
[email protected]

Keelee Thering

Executive Assistant
612-626-9545
[email protected]

Keelee assists Faculty and Academic Affairs by providing communications support, office management, policy review and management, project management and events coordination. They graduated from the University of Minnesota in the Spring of 2021 and joined Faculty and Academic Affairs in November, 2021.