Rauch Named Associate Provost for Accreditation and Assessment at Kutztown University

Kutztown, PA (07/02/2019) — Dr. Karen L. Rauch has been named Kutztown University's associate provost for accreditation and assessment and will begin her new position on Monday, July 8. Rauch has been with the university since 2001, most recently as associate dean of KU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In her 18 years at KU, Rauch has served as chair of the Department of Modern Language Studies from 2010-14, as interim associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2015-17, and as associate dean since May 2017.

In her new position, Rauch will serve as the administrator for all aspects of accreditations, assessments and continuous improvements within the Division of Academic Affairs. She will work with deans, department chairs, administrative directors, faculty and staff to facilitate and support a culture of assessment that improves the effectiveness of the educational experience the university provides to its students by collaborating with other divisions to promote institutional assessment and effectiveness.

"I am honored and excited to take on the new challenge of associate provost at Kutztown University," Rauch said. "As a child growing up in the Kutztown Area School District, I never dreamed I would one day be a professor or an administrator at KU. I am grateful for this opportunity to continue working with the inspiring faculty, staff and students of Kutztown University."

Rauch currently serves as the deans' council representative on the Strategic Planning and Resource Committee. She is also a published author; with her most recent publication as the co-author, along with Dr. Dawn Slack, associate professor of Spanish, of Disability in Spanish-speaking and U.S. Chicano Contexts: Critical and Artistic Perspectives, published in March 2019. During her time at KU, Rauch frequently attended and presented research at conferences on the local, national and international levels.

"I am very pleased to have Dr. Karen Rauch as our associate provost for Accreditation and Assessment." Zayaitz said. "Karen has done a tremendous job in her time in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, notably with assessment. She is committed to the academic excellence of our institution and will help lead our culture of providing effective programs to our students."

Prior to her tenure at KU, Rauch served as chair of the Department of Foreign Language and as the head of the Division of Arts and Humanities at Alvernia University.

Rauch earned bachelor's degrees in Spanish and French from DeSales University, a master's degree in Romance Studies from Duke University and a doctorate in Spanish from the University of Virginia.

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