New vice provost named
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 1, 2024) — After a robust national search, Jana Jasinski, Ph.D., has been named vice provost for the University of Kentucky effective Aug. 15, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.
The vice provost is a new leadership role within the Office of the Provost that partners with colleges and their leaders, along with other senior leadership on campus, to continue the university’s mission of advancing Kentucky.
“The role of vice provost is a critical one to ensure a robust and collaborative connection between the Office of the Provost and UK’s colleges and programs,” said UK Provost Robert DiPaola, M.D. “And I am eager to see Dr. Jasinski bring her experience with faculty development and advancement to UK. I look forward to the connections she will make with our outstanding faculty to advance the excellent work they conduct every day.”
Jasinski is currently vice provost for faculty excellence and Pegasus Professor of Sociology at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She has served as vice provost for faculty excellence since 2018 and served in an interim capacity in 2017. In this role, Jasinski has been primarily responsible for faculty professional development and operations at UCF and facilitates promotion and tenure decisions, faculty awards and policies and regulations impacting faculty.
Jasinski joined UCF as an assistant professor of sociology in 1999 and has since served in multiple roles. As vice provost for faculty excellence at UCF, Jasinski helps lead efforts to foster a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration, faculty recognition and leadership development. She and her team have helped develop faculty peer mentoring communities and facilitated an Academic Leadership Academy to develop future academic leaders. Prior to her role as vice provost for faculty excellence, Jasinski also served as associate dean in the College of Graduate Studies as well as the College of Sciences at UCF.
As a researcher and instructor, Jasinski’s interests lie in the areas of intimate partner violence, research methods, criminology, data analysis and social problems. She is an author of numerous articles, book chapters and books, as well as a recipient of various grants from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice.
Jasinski has also served on multiple committees for graduate theses and dissertations and played an active role in the mentorship and development of students, winning awards for teaching, researching and mentoring doctoral students. She also serves on various university-wide committees and councils.
“I am very excited and honored to be joining the University of Kentucky,” said Jasinski, “And I look forward to working with the outstanding faculty, staff and students to advance the mission of the university to positively impact the lives of students and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”
Jasinski holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in sociology from the University of New Hampshire. She will be succeeding Jennifer Greer, Ph.D., who has served as acting vice provost since September 2023. Greer will resume her role as dean of UK’s College of Communication and Information.
“I also want to thank Dr. Greer for her invaluable service to the university and the Office of the Provost during her time as acting vice provost,” said DiPaola. “I am grateful that she will be continuing in her role as dean of the College of Communication and Information and that UK will continue to benefit from her exemplary leadership.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.