Office of the Provost

Dear Members of the UConn Avery Point Campus Community,

I am writing to announce the reappointment of Annemarie Seifert as director of the Avery Point Campus, following the conclusion of a five-year review process.

The review process works best when it is collaborative and comprehensive. I am grateful to all of the faculty, staff, administrators, and other key partners of the campus who shared your feedback on Dr. Seifert’s leadership.

I also want to thank the review committee for their thoughtful oversight of this process. The committee was chaired by Michael Bradford, Vice Provost for Faculty, Staff, and Student Development, and included the following members: Edith Barrett, Associate Dean for Social Sciences, Regional Campuses, and Community and Global Affairs in CLAS; Janene Vandi, Associate Campus Director; Evan Ward, Professor and Department Head, Marine Sciences; Jamie Kleinman, Associate Professor in Residence, Psychological Sciences; Noemi Maldonado-Picardi, Director of Student Services (Avery Point); and Daniel Mercier, Director of Academic Affairs (Avery Point). Alexis Cassan, Executive Assistant to the Provost and Chief of Staff, managed administration of the committee.

Dr. Seifert was first appointed in July 2016. During her tenure she has developed and enhanced a number of partnerships for the campus within UConn across campuses, as well as externally with regional and federal initiatives. She has also implemented several measures to address mental health needs of students, respond to COVID, and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for the campus. She has also been a consistent advocate for resources from the University to support the unique needs of the Avery Point campus.

The job of regional campus director poses distinct challenges, and I appreciate all that Dr. Seifert has done to both deepen Avery Point’s connections to external partners, as well as to identify opportunities for the campus to make its mark within the broader UConn system. She has expressed a strong commitment to advancing Avery Point for the benefit of its students, staff, and faculty through this challenging time, and we have jointly developed an approach to seek feedback from the campus through anonymous surveys in the near future and throughout this next term of service.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs