Dear Adelphi Community,
In the year-and-a-half period during which Adelphi University Libraries has been under interim leadership, we have been able to reflect upon the needs and opportunities of this pivotal Adelphi institution. After much consideration, we will embark on a different approach than has been taken in the past with a shared goal to deepen and strengthen the libraries’ mission within the University. With this in mind, effective May 1, 2025, we will merge oversight responsibilities for Adelphi University Libraries and research areas under our newly appointed vice provost for libraries and research, Andrea Ward, PhD.
This action will bring together Adelphi University Libraries, the Innovation Center, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the SPARK Center for undergraduate research as a consolidated and powerful unit to advance knowledge and knowledge production at the University. The immediate benefit of this restructuring is that Adelphi University Libraries will intensify its legacy as integral to every student, faculty member and program at the University.
Strategically, connecting the libraries with other dynamic and scholarship-focused areas of the University creates greater integration and better conveys a critical aspect of its mission. This structure will also allow for seamless work toward Goal 1 of our Momentum 2 strategic plan, which charges Adelphi University Libraries with boosting faculty and student success through open access to knowledge, addressing the diverse learning needs of all our students, both in person and online, and strengthening infrastructure to encourage our faculty’s work, including their research and grant opportunities.
As vice provost for research and libraries, Dr. Ward will have an amplified voice to articulate for the priorities of both the libraries and research at the University. She will work to advance Adelphi University Libraries and the scholarship support programming of the University, creating a broader umbrella to articulate the value of the libraries to our entire community. In this effort, she will work closely with an active and highly capable University Libraries faculty, led by departmental chairperson Sandra Urban. Adelphi University is fortunate to enjoy the benefits of a faculty-librarian model, and we will continue to benefit from the leadership of the library faculty in overseeing the academic affairs of University Libraries.
Since 2023, Dr. Ward has served as associate provost for research and special projects, overseeing administrative support for scholarly work at Adelphi. In this role, she has had oversight of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the SPARK Center, and the Innovation Center. Dr. Ward joined Adelphi’s faculty in the Department of Biology in 2007 and has since held teaching roles, directed the environmental studies and health sciences programs, chaired the Department of Biology, and served as associate dean for student success and strategic initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences and as interim associate provost for student success.
I’d like to thank Interim Dean Ray Wang, PhD, for his excellent leadership and support for the libraries since his appointment, as well as for his commitment to supporting the transition to our new leadership structure.
As Adelphi University Libraries move in this new and innovative direction, I hope that all at Adelphi will seek ways to make the most of this valuable and beneficial community resource. Congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Ward as she takes on this new role.
Sincerely,
Christopher Storm, PhD
Provost and Executive Vice President