Incoming Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs Announced

University of Scranton president Joseph G. Marina, S.J., announced that WeiDong Zhu, Ph.D., has been named provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, effective July 2026.

Dr. Zhu was selected following a highly competitive national search and will join the president’s cabinet, providing academic and strategic leadership to advance the University’s mission. Working closely with deans and faculty, the provost helps guide the development of curricula and directs academic programming across the University’s three colleges. The provost is responsible for providing leadership and oversight for the academic division’s budget; undergraduate and graduate programs; teaching and research activities; the University’s library; and the faculty.

Dr. Zhu comes to Scranton from Saint Peter’s University, a Jesuit sister institution in New Jersey, where he has served in numerous academic leadership roles since being hired in 2007. He is currently the interim vice president for academic affairs at Saints Peter’s. Since assuming this role in August 2024, he has guided Saint Peter’s through a period of significant institutional evolution, creating its newest strategic plan, restructuring academic departments for mission-aligned relevance and infusing Ignatian values into faculty development, core revision and high-impact practices.

“Dr. Zhu brings a breadth of experience and mission-centered leadership to The University of Scranton,” Father Marina said in a community email announcing the hire. “He is a deeply accomplished academic leader and scholar whose record and achievements reflect both intellectual distinction and a deeply humanistic approach to higher education, especially in a Catholic and Jesuit setting.”

Beyond his recent work as chief academic officer at Saint Peter’s, he was the co-director and later director of its Center for Microplasma Science and Technology from 2009-2018; chair of the Department of Applied Science and Technology, 2014-2018; vice president and briefly president of the faculty senate, 2016-2018; and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, 2018-2024.

As a dean, Dr. Zhu led the largest college at Saint Peter’s, focusing on academic innovation and financial and strategic stewardship. Earlier, as department chair, he helped establish new academic concentrations, implement revised curricula and enhance lab-based learning for biochemistry, biotechnology and physics programs, as well as dual-degree engineering partnerships.

Dr. Zhu helped secure more than $2 million in research grants and the establishment of the federally funded Center for Microplasma Science and Technology. Through collaborations with partner institutions, Dr. Zhu mentored high school, undergraduate and graduate students, helping develop future scientists.

A first-generation college student, Dr. Zhu was born in China. He came to the U.S. to pursue a doctoral degree at Stevens Institute of Technology. He credits his personal journey, including early challenges with language and cultural adjustments, for shaping his compassionate, community-focused approach to leadership.

Dr. Zhu earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Education and a Master of Engineering in Material Science and Engineering from Soochow University in China. He also holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the Stevens Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the 18-month Ignatian Colleagues Program, which included formative experiences such as a silent retreat at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat Center in Colorado and an immersion trip to Lima, Peru.

An accomplished researcher and scholar in plasma physics, he holds two patents in the United States and six in China, and has had numerous peer-reviewed journal and conference publications.