Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., Named Provost

University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., announced the appointment of Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, effective immediately. Dr. Maldonado was serving as Scranton’s interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“Dr. Maldonado has a deep understanding and appreciation of our Catholic and Jesuit mission, and a love of the characteristics that make Scranton so special,” said Father Marina in a Feb. 14^th message to the University community.

A member of the President’s Cabinet, the provost serves as the chief academic officer for the University and has overall responsibility for its education and research programs. The provost is responsible for providing leadership and oversight for the academic division’s budget, undergraduate and graduate programs, teaching, research, the library and the faculty. In addition, the provost works with deans and faculty to develop advancements to the curriculum and oversee the academic programming of the University’s three colleges.

In the campus announcement, Father Marina noted that during her time as interim provost, Dr. Maldonado “outlined academic priorities that are integrated with the Universal Apostolic Preferences and the University’s Strategic Plan” and had “begun work to implement more transfer-friendly policies for students, created academic support programs for first-generation students, developed innovative programs for non-traditional learners, and is spearheading our initiative to become a Laudato Si’ university.”

“Throughout her time at Scranton, she has also played a key role in the creation and implementation of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan,” said Father Marina. 

Dr. Maldonado joined the University in 2020 as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. As dean, she oversaw the development and implementation of a five-year strategic plan for the College and launched an online Master’s in Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity, among other accomplishments.

As a scholar, Dr. Maldonado’s academic areas of specialization include Latino/a and Latin American theology; Afro-Caribbean and Latino/a studies; and constructive and cultural theologies. In addition to the nearly dozen books that she has edited, co-authored or authored, she has published more than 50 articles in academic journals and book chapters. She has also presented at more than 90 academic conferences and meetings and contributed more than a dozen book reviews. She has written articles for the National Catholic Reporter and Conversations, and, in March of 2021, participated as a panelist in “The Francis Factor at Eight Years: Global Impacts, U.S. Challenges” discussion hosted by Georgetown University. In 2022, she was a panel participant and keynote speaker for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s V Encuentro Ministry Series Project.  

Prior to joining Scranton, Dr. Maldonado served as assistant provost of undergraduate education at the University of Miami, where she has also served as the executive director of the Office of Academic Enhancement and as a professor of religious studies. She joined the faculty at the University of Miami in 2006.

Dr. Maldonado has received multiple honors and awards during her career, including the Alumni of the Year award from the Graduate Theological Union, the 2008 Catholic Press Association Book Award for Second Place in Gender Issues for her book “Created in God’s Image,” and a 2004 Catholic Press Association Book Award and a 2004 Hispanic Theological Initiative Book Prize for her first book “Sor Juana: Beauty and Justice in the Americas.”

Previously, Dr. Maldonado served as a theologian-in-residence at San Lucas Toliman Mission in Guatemala and as an assistant professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University.

Dr. Maldonado earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, her master’s degree from the Union Theology Seminary, and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union.

The University’s selection of Dr. Maldonado followed a national search conducted by a broadly representative search committee chaired by Scranton alumnus Anthony Yanni, M.D., University trustee and senior vice president and global head, Patient Centricity for Astellas.