Lucy Rinehart has been named the new associate provost for academic programs and faculty.

Rinehart has worked in several different capacities in her nearly 25 years with DePaul. Most recently, she has been serving as interim dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (LAS) since 2014. She filled the position while DePaul conducted a nationwide search to find a permanent dean.

The position is a new one for DePaul and, in his email to DePaul’s faculty and staff, Marten denBoer, provost, said it was “formed in the reorganization of the Office of Academic Affairs.”

The associate dean position will combine many responsibilities to provide support to faculty and provide “high-quality and relevant educational programs” to students, denBoer said in the email. One of Rinehart’s main responsibilities will be to work with Enrollment Management and Marketing to improve the coordination of program development, which includes summer school. She will also be tasked with developing initiatives to increase enrollment.

With faculty, Rinehart will serve as the primary contact for all adjunct faculty issues and will oversee the workplace environment committee. She will also be in charge of faculty recruitment, orientation, improving retention and the tenure process.

Rinehart joined the DePaul faculty in 1992. She then moved up to director of undergraduate studies in English from 1997 to 2007. She then moved on to a larger role as associate dean of undergraduate studies in LAS from 2007 to 2011, and served for three years as chair of the English department before moving into her role as interim dean in 2014.

“This new position will be a terrific asset to the entire university community, and I look forward to the work we will accomplish together,” denBoer said.