Christine Riordan, dean of the of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, has accepted an offer to become UK's next Provost. Photo courtesy of Daniels College of Business.
Lexington, KY – Christine Riordan, dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, has accepted an offer to become the University of Kentucky’s next Provost.
According to a release from the university, Riordan’s appointment as the school’s Chief Academic Officer is contingent upon approval by the Board of Trustees at their May 15th meeting.
“Dr. Riordan’s candidacy stood out for so many people I talked with for a number of reasons," UK President Eli Capilouto said in the school’s announcement.
"Her compelling communications skills, her deep understanding of higher education’s future and how she has led a college to prominence, and the sense of excitement her candidacy generated as she discussed her commitment to working collaboratively as we build upon our missions of education, research and service," we all contributing factors to her appointment.
Riordan replaces Kumble Subbaswamy, who left last year to assume the position of Chancellor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“The energy, strength and commitment of the UK community are clear. It will be a privilege to serve the distinguished UK faculty, staff, students and alumni, and become part of this outstanding institution and community,” Riordan stated in a release.
Riordan comes from the eighth oldest business school in the country with a global network of over 33,000 faculty, alumni, students and staff, and is internationally ranked as one of the top business schools.
Riordan has her MBA and Ph.D. from Georgia State University and earned her degree in textile engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
According to her biography from the University of Denver, Riordan serves on the executive committee of the board of trustees for the Mile High United Way and is also on the board of directors for Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain, the Colorado Society of CPAs and the international business honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma. She also chaired a major committee of the Colorado Olympic Exploratory Committee.
She was also recently elected to the board of AACSB, the international accrediting association for business schools.
For the job, Riordan beat two other finalists, Nancy W. Brickhouse, interim provost at the University of Delaware and Jose Luis Bermudez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. All three finalists visted UK during the week of April 22 for interviews.