Aquinas College hires provost and dean of faculty

Aquinas College hires provost and dean of faculty

Stephen Germic Courtesy Aquinas College

A local college ended its nationwide search.

Aquinas College hired Dr. Stephen Germic as its new provost and dean of faculty. He will begin his tenure July 1.

Germic will replace Dr. Heather Kesselring-Quakenbush, who has been serving as interim provost after Dr. Steve Barrows stepped down in July 2019 after he served three years as provost of the college.

At Aquinas, Germic will serve as a member of President Kevin Quinn’s cabinet and will work with the board of trustees. He will provide academic leadership and oversight of academic affairs.

Germic will lead the school’s offices for academic affairs, advising, engagement and outreach, institutional research, library, student success and the AQ Advantage Center, which deals with career services, internships, study away and student research.

“I cannot overstate how honored and excited I am to be coming to Aquinas College and returning to Michigan,” Germic said. “I am humbled by the warm welcome of President Quinn and the entire Aquinas community, and I am very much looking forward to getting to campus to learn from and work with the exceptional faculty, staff and students of the college.”

Before being hired at Aquinas, Germic was the associate academic vice president at Rocky Mountain College in Montana from 2012-14, where he was responsible for assessment and accreditation. He helped the college increase its graduation rate and started as an English professor at the college in 2007.

Prior to joining Rocky Mountain College, he was program chair of liberal arts at American University in Dubai; co-director of Prince Alwaleed Bin Center for American Studies and other roles at American University in Cairo; an assistant professor of English and co-director of the American Studies Program at James Madison University; a visiting assistant professor in the department of writing, rhetoric and American cultures at Michigan State University; and a graduate teaching fellow in the department of English at Wayne State University.

“Dr. Germic has a history of transformative academic leadership across disciplines that has led to impressive growth,” Quinn said. “His vision and collaboration with faculty have both strengthened and enhanced the student experience.”

Germic earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Albion College and a doctorate in American Literature from Wayne State University.

The nationwide search was conducted by a 14-member search committee, which included nine faculty members, a staff member, a student leader, two cabinet members and the chair of the board of trustees. The committee was assisted by HR and the national executive placement firm Academic Search.

“I am grateful to the faculty-led search committee for its efforts, guidance and recommendations during this process, Quinn said.”