SVSU hires Michigan native Boehm as next provost

November 11, 2024

SVSU hires Michigan native Boehm as next provost

Saginaw Valley State University has hired a noted historian, author, and academic leader to serve as its next provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Lisa Krissoff Boehm will join SVSU in January 2025.

"I am thrilled to be returning to Michigan and embarking on this next chapter of my professional adventure," Boehm said. "I am committed to the type of institution that SVSU is, a regional public university that is committed to the success of its students and the state. I was highly impressed by the energetic students and dedicated faculty and staff I met during my visit to campus during the interview process."

Boehm comes to SVSU from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, where she has been dean of the College of Graduate Studies since 2017. She also held an appointment as professor of history and American studies. Prior to Bridgewater State, Boehm served as the founding dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Manhattanville College in New York state.

At Bridgewater State, Boehm oversees 43 program chairs and led the introduction of several new graduate degree programs, including cybersecurity and justice; biology; public relations; and higher education leadership. She also introduced eight new certificates, including GIS; cybersecurity and cyber criminality; social emotional learning; and K-12 online teaching.

"We are pleased to welcome Lisa into our SVSU community," said George Grant Jr, SVSU president. "With her extensive leadership experience and strong background in academics and community engagement, she brings valuable expertise that will continue to strengthen our university's commitment to academic excellence and student success."

Boehm has held scholarly and administrative appointments at several institutions, including two years as a visiting assistant professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. During more than 13 years at Worcester State University in Massachusetts, she served as interim dean of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Business, as well as director of the Commonwealth Honors Program, which grew from around 100 students to 275 students.

An author of seven books, Boehm focused on the stories of women who relocated from the American South to places such as Detroit and Grand Rapids, in "Making a Way out of No Way: African American Women and the Second Great Migration." The oral histories for the book are preserved at Harvard University. Boehm also has written several book chapters and scholarly articles with an emphasis on U.S. cities.

"As an academic leader, I have tried to keep up my scholarly work and my teaching to the greatest extent possible," Boehm said. "It keeps me current with the changes in higher education. As an oral historian, I'm dedicated to listening, and I'm eager to engage in conversation with students, faculty and staff, as well as employers and other partners in the community."

A "fifth generation Michigander," Boehm grew up in Grand Rapids and Holland. She completed a bachelor's degree at Northwestern University, a master's degree at the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. at Indiana University. Boehm and her husband plan to reside in Frankenmuth.