Josh Imhof | news editor

Duquesne University has a new provost. 

Sarah Ewing, former provost and vice president for student experience at Gannon University, has been announced as Duquesne’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs. 

Ewing worked in various positions at Gannon for the past 17 years, first serving as a professor, then as dean of the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences and finally as provost. 

The announcement was made on Tuesday following a national search chaired by current provost and president-elect David Dausey. 

“There was really a lot of overlap and a great match to help support,” Ewing said of her time at Gannon. “Duquesne creates a new challenge, new opportunity for me.”

As provost, Ewing said she hopes to keep Duquesne competitive in a rapidly evolving higher-educational landscape and to prepare students for changing job markets.

“Now more than ever, it’s important to lean into your liberal arts education,” she told The Duke. “How do you communicate? How do you think critically? How do you help contribute to your industry in new ways? You need to be experts in your field, but the ability to have human connection is what your Duquesne education prepared you for.”

At Gannon, Ewing was responsible for launching health science-related programs at the university’s new Florida campus that opened in 2014. During that time, she said she was able to help grow the program from 30 students to nearly 300, something she hopes to continue at Duquesne. 

“I bring that experience here to help continue the momentum for the College of Osteopathic Medicine and other new programs, including the engineering programs,” Ewing said. 

Ewing will replace Dausey, who will step into the role of president on July 1. He said that Ewing’s understanding of Duquesne’s Catholic mission, skills as a communicator and background in the sciences made her the right candidate for the job.

“The provost is the second in command of the university,” Dausey said. “It is an important role, and I look forward to working with Sarah to really flesh out what that role looks like.”

One of Ewing’s priorities is also to improve artificial intelligence literacy among students in the classroom and beyond. She said incorporating AI literacy into Bridges courses and offering certificates and short term programs for those already in the workforce were both possible ways to do this. 

“Artificial intelligence is impacting every single student, regardless of the discipline that they’re entering,” Ewing said. “So how does Duquesne University help prepare them for that?”

The provost-elect said that she is looking forward to what’s to come. 

“Duquesne University has an incredible reputation, and there’s so much momentum here,” Ewing said. “I’m very excited to join the Duquesne community.”

Josh Imhof can be reached at imhofj@duq.edu