About the interim provost
Paula Lancaster was appointed interim provost of Central Michigan University on September 10, 2024.
Prior to stepping into this interim position, Lancaster served as dean and professor in the CMU College of Education and Human Services, a role she began in July 2020. In this role, she oversees and supports 120 faculty, 40 staff, 40 academic programs and six academic centers, as well as hundreds of students. Since her tenure began, faculty and programs within the college have been recognized for excellence nationally and internationally. Recent accolades include but are not limited to:
- Named the No.1 event management degree program in the world and Gold Pinnacle Award winner by the International Festivals and Events Association.
- Recognized for excellence in educator preparation programs by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
- Recognized for innovation in counseling programs by the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision.
- Honored with the Exemplary Course Program Award by Anthology for excellence in course design.
- Faculty members recognized for excellence in teaching by the Michigan Association of State Universities and Association of Science Teacher Education
- Faculty received prestigious National Science Foundation grants for efforts to improve STEM education and the student learner experience.
Recently, Lancaster served as co-principal investigator on a $15 million grant from the Michigan Department of Education to address teacher shortages in rural areas. The MiCAREER Resource Hub will help to attach, develop and retain educators who will serve in high-need rural communities.
As dean, Lancaster coordinated with other university leaders to identify and pursue strategic priorities to increase enrollment, strengthen academic quality, improve the student experience and more. She participated in development of the university’s strategic plan and Academic Vision and served on several committees and work groups aligned with university-wide goals.
Lancaster has served CMU on a variety of committees and task forces, including the presidential search advisory committee, the budget model development steering committee, the academic vision development team, and more. She is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, the American Educational Research Association, the Council for Exceptional Children and the Learning Disabilities Association.
Prior to her tenure at CMU, Lancaster was the inaugural chair of the Department of Special Education, Foundations, and Technology from 2008-2015 and later the chair of Teaching and Learning at Grand Valley State University from 2015-2019. She also was director of the teacher education program and a professor at GVSU for nearly twenty years.
After her receiving her B.S. in Special Education from Western Illinois University, she was a high school special education teacher for eight years. She earned a master’s degree in education from Northern Illinois University, and she completed her PhD. in Special Education at the University of Kansas, where she also worked at the Center for Research on Learning. Her scholarly work has focused on instruction and supports for individuals with disabilities and the implementation of practice-based approaches to teacher preparation with a particular interest in collaborations between university-based preparation programs and P-12 school environments. She was a founding member of the Michigan Teacher Education Network and has been actively involved at the state and national level in work centered on educator preparation and high-leverage practices.