UA Names Dr. Susan Carvalho Associate Provost, Dean of Graduate School

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Susan Carvalho, associate provost for internationalization and interim associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Kentucky, has been named associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at The University of Alabama.

Dr. Kevin Whitaker, UA interim provost, announced the appointment, effective July 1. Carvalho will replace Dr. David Francko, who is retiring after holding the position since 2006.

“Dr. Carvalho has an excellent academic and administrative record,” Whitaker said. “Her experience and accomplishments make her the ideal choice to lead the UA Graduate School, continuing its crucial role for this flagship institution.”

Carvalho has an extensive administrative background, having previously served as associate dean in the UK College of Arts & Sciences, convener of the General Education Reform Steering Committee, interim chair of the departments of Hispanic studies and political science, and chair of the Domestic Partner Benefits Committee. She also held a concurrent appointment for six years as director of the Spanish School at Middlebury College in Vermont.

“My position at UK has given me ample opportunity, through benchmarking, to admire the advances that The University of Alabama has been leading,” Carvalho said. “I have been so impressed with the momentum that I have seen across the campus, and I look forward to learning how I can be a part of that momentum on the graduate education front.”

Carvalho earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Hispanic studies from the University of Virginia. She holds the rank of full professor in the UK department of Hispanic studies. An internationally visible scholar of Hispanic cultural studies, she has published one monograph and one edited volume, along with numerous scholarly articles and book reviews, and has delivered more than 40 invited lectures and conference presentations.

She has served as principal investigator or co-PI on several international grants that brought more than $3 million in expenses and salary savings to UK, both to internationalize the UK campus and to advise on higher education in developing countries.

“The faculty, staff and students whom I spoke with throughout the interview process have shown their keen awareness of national and global trends in higher education, and they have expressed both great ambitions and great faith in The University of Alabama under President Stuart R. Bell,” she said. “I will be working closely with the colleges as the strategic plan is completed, and am glad to play a part in the strengthening of graduate education.”

As a Fellow of the American Council on Education, Carvalho served for a year in the offices of the chancellor and provost at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She also had a leadership role in the University of Kentucky’s participation in the American Council on Education’s Internationalization Laboratory. She has served on the Executive Committee of the Association of International Education Administrators, the leadership organization for senior international officers.

She is often invited to speak at national and international conferences on such topics as women’s leadership, international education and accreditation of international programming. At UK, her cross-campus work spanned the professional schools, sciences, humanities and social sciences with a sustained focus on diversity and a record of sound and productive fiscal management.

The University of Alabama has more than 4,500 graduate students in 120 master’s and doctoral programs. The Graduate School operates in cooperation with the other divisions of the University to foster the research and scholarly activities that are the hallmark of a major graduate and research institution.