Katie Linder Named Associate Vice Chancellor for Digital Strategy and Learning

 

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce that our national search for a new Associate Vice Chancellor for Digital Strategy and Learning has concluded successfully. Katie Linder, PhD, an experienced leader in online and hybrid teaching and learning operations across universities, will join us on August 16.

Reporting to the provost and working in close partnership with the chancellor, deans, faculty, and staff, Katie will develop a holistic and inclusive digital learning strategy and steward the expansion of online offerings and credentials to respond to changing workforce needs and learner preferences, prioritizing accessibility, flexibility, and lifelong learning.

In consulting with faculty since September, I (Chancellor Marks) heard loud and clear that this position needs to embrace critical digital pedagogy, inclusive pedagogies, and data-ethics. In Katie Linder, we have indeed found both a pedagogue and a business strategist. 

Katie brings a wealth of experience to the role, most recently as Associate Dean for Kansas State University’s Global Campus, which serves over 12,000 students through more than 100 credit and noncredit programs at all academic levels. There she led the development of a strategic portfolio of market-driven learning opportunities poised for enrollment growth and increased online noncredit learners by 127 percent. She also oversaw market research, marketing, recruitment, retention, student services, and academic advising for KSU’s Global Campus.

She led online efficacy and innovative research initiatives as research director at Oregon State University’s nationally ranked Ecampus and learner and instructor success initiatives as the director for the Center for Teaching and Scholarly Excellence at Suffolk University in Boston. At Oregon State, she served as the principal liaison with external partners to identify and facilitate collaborative projects. She has also created multiple faculty development programs at different institutions on the scholarship of online and hybrid teaching and learning.

Having earned credentials in both project management and coaching, Katie is adept at leading large-scale projects (including COVID-necessitated faculty training initiatives in remote instruction) and leading teams. She has been sought to speak and consult with dozens of colleges and universities and has written numerous books, chapters, and articles. She holds a doctorate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from The Ohio State University.

We are grateful to the search committee and its chairs, Brad Hinson and Ronica Rooks, for leading a robust process that yielded a number of strong candidates for this vital position. We’d also like to thank the members of our community who provided feedback to help identify the qualities and qualifications integral in the new leader.

With Katie’s hire, we are a step closer to realizing CU Denver’s full potential of providing an innovative hybrid learning experience that meets a broad range of students where they are.

Please join us in welcoming Katie to her new role and to our community.