Sharon Vasquez

Sharon L. Vasquez is in her fourth year as provost of the University of Hartford, a private university of 7000 students. Since her arrival she has successfully lead several major planning initiatives including the university’s NEASC reaccreditation review, a full-time faculty compensation study, the Academic Pathways Strategic Plan, the Libraries Master Planning effort and a comprehensive review and prioritization of academic programs—Foundation of the Future.

Over a decade of serving as dean at two public universities: in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University in Detroit, and earlier in the School of Arts and Performance at SUNY-Brockport, helped her hone her leadership skills and navigate the ever changing landscape of higher education. She counts among her proudest accomplishments exceeding capital campaign goals at two institutions; launching an incubator for creative-sector businesses at Wayne State’s high-tech research park; leading the American Democracy Project and a “first year experience” initiative at SUNY-Brockport; championing assessment of learning outcomes before it was popular; and nurturing the interest in academic leadership opportunities of numerous women colleagues.