October 3, 2023

Dear CSU Community,

Over the past six months, we have carried out an extensive national search to identify Colorado State University’s next Provost. Today I am very pleased to announce Dr. Marion Underwood has been appointed to this position and will begin serving as Provost and Executive Vice President on Jan. 1, 2024. Dr. Underwood comes to us from Purdue University, where she is Dean for the College of Health and Human Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences.

As a renowned scholar and accomplished academic administrator who is grounded in the land grant tradition, Dr. Underwood will provide academic vision and leadership as we continue to elevate CSU as a leading land grant university. In this critical position, Dr. Underwood will serve as the institution’s Chief Academic Officer and as the second in command in Colorado State University’s administration. Dr. Underwood will oversee areas including the Provost’s Office; the Deans of the Libraries, Graduate School, and eight Colleges; the Offices of the Vice President for Research and the Vice President for Student Affairs; and the Office of the Chair of the Faculty Council among other responsibilities. She will work in concert with me, deans, vice presidents and the campus community to advance the university’s academic enterprise and reputation as an internationally recognized land grant institution.

Dr. Underwood brings expertise and successes from a wide variety of institutions, as well as a deep understanding of and appreciation for academic excellence and innovation; diversity, equity and inclusion; and collaboration with faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters. Since 2018, Dr. Underwood has served as the Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue, a land grant institution enrolling over 41,000 students and ranked among the top 10 public universities in the U.S. Prior to her work at Purdue, she was a faculty member at Reed College, then a professor and administrator at the University of Texas at Dallas. There she was named the Ashbel Smith Professor of Psychological Sciences and served as Associate Dean of Programs and Administration in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences before becoming Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Provost.

Dr. Underwood is one of the foremost researchers in the developmental origins and outcomes of social aggression and how adolescents’ digital communication relates to adjustment. Her work appears in numerous scientific journals, and the National Institutes of Health supported her research program from 1995-2021. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wellesley College, and her master’s degree and doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Duke University.​

As we congratulate Dr. Underwood on her appointment, I want to commend the search committee for their hard work and thank them for a thorough and successful conclusion. This committee, chaired by Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences Lise Youngblade, ensured a broad, highly qualified pool of candidates, as well as strong engagement with stakeholders across the university. Hundreds of faculty, staff, students and university supporters attended meetings and forums, and provided the committee with rich feedback. Thanks to everyone who participated in this critically important search.

I am immensely grateful to Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jan Nerger for her service. As a longtime university leader, she has provided stability and has led our progress across the academic enterprise for the last year. CSU is incredibly fortunate to benefit from the wisdom and dedication she has brought to the interim role. On Jan. 1, Dr. Nerger will resume her position as our Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, and will continue as a member of the university’s Executive Leadership Team. Please join me in thanking Dr. Nerger for her extraordinary ongoing service to CSU.

Dr. Underwood joins an incredible leadership team that is poised for the work ahead. With this appointment, and with our search for Vice President for Research nearing completion, we will continue to advance CSU as a top-tier, student-centered research institution. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Underwood and invite you to join me in welcoming her to our community!

Sincerely,

Amy Parsons

President

Colorado State University