Provost Announces Reappointment of Deans Mari Castañeda, Jacqueline Urla and Allison Vorderstrasse

(L-R) Deans Mari Castañeda, Commonwealth Honors College, Jacqueline Urla, Graduate School, and Allison Vorderstrasse, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing

Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Fouad Abd-El-Khalick has announced that Deans Mari Castañeda, Commonwealth Honors College, Jacqueline Urla, Graduate School, and Allison Vorderstrasse, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, have each been reappointed to five-year terms, effective Sept. 1, 2025.<_o3a_p>

The announcement was made in an email to the campus community on Sept. 11, which can be found in its entirety below.

Dear Campus Community, <_o3a_p>

I am delighted to announce the reappointment of Deans Mari Castañeda, Commonwealth Honors College, Jacqueline Urla, Graduate School, and Allison Vorderstrasse, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, for five-year terms, effective September 1, 2025. <_o3a_p>

Deans Castañeda, Urla, and Vorderstrasse have each demonstrated exceptional leadership through unique challenges. They have each led and advocated effectively to advance the success of students, staff, and faculty in their programs. They have been integral to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in their respective schools and across campus. I commend their achievements in accreditation, philanthropy, and the impact and visibility of the university. I am confident that their work and leadership will continue to benefit UMass Amherst and our communities-locally, nationally, and globally. <_o3a_p>

I want to personally acknowledge their incredible contributions to the university and celebrate these notable achievements. I deeply appreciate the commitment each of them has for our students and their success. It is hard to do justice to their numerous individual achievements during their tenure as deans in a single email. Here, I'll highlight central thrusts that characterize their dedicated leadership and exceptional service to their units and our campus: <_o3a_p>

Dean Castañeda is an accomplished scholar helping to prioritize the diversification of higher education at UMass and across the country. She has a tremendous track record of inclusive excellence in developing future generations of leaders. <_o3a_p>

Dean Urla's focus on developing and improving a system that recruits traditionally underrepresented students has been transformative. Her strategy for removing obstacles to degree completion is a game changer. <_o3a_p>

Dean Vorderstrasse has grown the college's clinical presence in the community and found ways to improve access for underserved students. Her leadership continues to shape the future in bold new ways. <_o3a_p>

I also offer my sincere thanks to the following members of each committee who provided the careful reviews that resulted in these reappointments: <_o3a_p>

Commonwealth Honors College<_o3a_p>

• Janet Fink (Chair)<_o3a_p>
• Susan Ware<_o3a_p>
• Deepika Marya<_o3a_p>
• Hilary Fink<_o3a_p>

Graduate School<_o3a_p>

• Mark Tuominen (Chair)<_o3a_p>
• Dhandapani Venkataraman (DV)<_o3a_p>
• Kathryn Lachman<_o3a_p>
• Joseph Black<_o3a_p>
• Ana Caiedo<_o3a_p>

Elaine Marieb College of Nursing<_o3a_p>

• Brian Whitcomb (Chair)<_o3a_p>
• Constance Flynn<_o3a_p>
• Lucinda Canty<_o3a_p>
• Kimberly Dion<_o3a_p>

Please join me in congratulating Deans Castañeda, Urla, and Vorderstrasse on their well-deserved reappointments. I look forward to their engagement and leadership as they empower our campus to continue this upward trajectory for national and global leadership in inclusive excellence. <_o3a_p>

All the best,<_o3a_p>

Fouad Abd-El-Khalick
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs<_o3a_p><_o3a_p>

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.