As promised in my April 28 campus update, I am sharing further details related to three interim leadership positions in the Office of the Provost, all effective July 1. 

The newly formed Academic Affairs unit will focus on curriculum development, innovation, and instructional design; program planning, review, and assessment; and the Honors and Leadership, Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, and Change Makers programs.

To head that unit, I am appointing Richard Allen as Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. Rich has been Senior Associate Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and will be returning from a 2025–26 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship, in which he collaborated with the Provost’s team at the University of Knoxville. He has been on CU Denver’s faculty for 25 years and, among numerous leadership roles in his college, he served as interim CLAS dean in early 2025.  

I want to thank Hamilton Bean for serving as Interim AVC for Academic Planning this semester. Hamilton co-led this semester’s Annual Program Check-In work, provided key Provost Office support for the faculty vote on the reimagined core curriculum, and created a new academic planning manual, among other program review, accreditation, assessment, and planning activities. I appreciate his service this semester as he returns to his ongoing role as Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication.

I am appointing Faye Caronan as Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, bringing the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning under the same leadership as the Center for Faculty Development & Advancement. Faye has been CLAS Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs for the past four years, has been on CU Denver’s Ethnic Studies faculty for 17 years, and has led numerous campuswide efforts including serving as principal investigator of a $1.8 million Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution federal grant.

This transition coincides with Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs Turan Kayaoglu beginning a year-long American Council for Education Fellowship this summer. I am deeply appreciative of Turan’s efforts to strengthen faculty shared governance, enhance conditions for our instructional, research, and clinical (IRC) faculty, implement a dean’s review policy and process, and ensure a diverse range of faculty supports on our campus. I wish Turan the best as he embarks on his ACE Fellowship. 

I also am appointing Michael Wunder as Interim Executive Director of Graduate Education. Mike has been on CU Denver’s Department of Integrative Biology faculty for 18 years, including six as program director for the biology MS and PhD programs. This past year, he has been Special Assistant to the Provost for Graduate Education, leading a Graduate Education Working Group and university-wide effort to evolve the governance and operations of graduate education at CU Denver. 

A significant part of Mike’s role will be to lead the development of a new Graduate Studies Office that will begin operations as the fall 2026 semester begins, following early 2026 recommendations from the Graduate Education Working Group report. More updates on these recommendations—including a brand-new FAQ summarizing recent progress and end-of-semester status on several graduate education topics—are available on this page. 

Each of those interim leadership roles, which will report to me, will be effective through Dec. 31. I am excited that these three appointees together bring 60 years of CU Denver experience to guide the Office of the Provost’s evolution. With some important roles filled for the near term, I will continue to refine the office so that these areas work as efficiently, effectively, and harmoniously as possible to support the academic success of our students and the professional fulfillment of our faculty and staff. 

I look forward to engaging with you more in the fall as I fill these and other roles for the long term. As we close out another academic year, I thank you for your dedication to CU Denver, and I wish you a refreshing and rewarding summer ahead.

Karen Marrongelle

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs