Marten L. denBoer, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, was elected provost of DePaul University in Chicago. A physicist by training, denBoer will become DePaul’s chief academic officer July 1. (California State Polytechnic University/Tom Zasadzinski)CHICAGO — Marten L. denBoer, who for the past seven years has served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, has been elected provost of DePaul University in Chicago by its board of trustees.
DenBoer, a physicist by training, will become DePaul’s chief academic officer July 1, stepping into the position held on an interim basis this academic year by David Miller, dean of the College of Computing and Digital Media.
“Dr. denBoer comes with significant experience as an academic leader, having served as provost and associate provost in previous appointments,” said the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., president of DePaul University. “His past work with faculty to support scholarly initiatives and his attention to the development of degree programs for students that adapt to market needs are exemplars of a tested leader.”
In his position at Cal Poly, denBoer oversees eight colleges that offer more than 150 degree and credential programs. He is credited with recruiting many of the deans and senior administrators to build a leadership team of diverse professionals.
Among his accomplishments, denBoer has expanded internal grants for faculty scholarship and established awards to honor outstanding faculty achievements. Additionally, he has worked closely with faculty to develop and implement a strategic plan for the university, which has more than 22,000 students and 1,200 faculty members.
"I have admired from afar as DePaul's academic quality has risen over the past decade even as it remained faithful to its Vincentian values. I am honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to join such a vigorous and creative intellectual community,” said denBoer.
“The feedback we received from the deans, faculty and staff leadership showed overwhelming support for Dr. denBoer,” said Board Chair William E. Bennett. “There was a unanimous vote of the trustees to select him as DePaul’s next provost.”
Search Committee Chair and Trustee Sister Margaret Fitzpatrick, S.C., noted, “The national search for a provost generated the strongest and most diverse pool of candidates that we have seen for this position in recent history. We appreciate the interest of all the candidates and the active participation by the university community throughout the interview process.”
Prior to being named provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Cal Poly in 2008, denBoer served as associate provost at Queens College of the City University of New York. Previously, he was a professor and chair of the physics department at Hunter College CUNY. DenBoer was also an assistant professor of physics at the Polytechnic Institute of New York and a research associate at the National Research Council of Canada.
DenBoer earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in physics from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
As a physicist, a focus of his research has been the use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy in the investigation of materials important in energy storage and conversion, particularly batteries and fuel cells. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health and the Office of Naval Research. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society.
DenBoer’s research has been conducted in Canada, Germany, Israel and Taiwan, as well as the United States. Of Dutch background, born in France and raised in Canada, denBoer has a love of languages and a commitment for faculty and students to provide and experience global enrichment in their academic programs.
DePaul University was founded in Chicago in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), a Roman Catholic religious community dedicated to following the ideals of St. Vincent de Paul, the 17th century priest for whom the university is named. With nearly 24,000 students and about 300 academic programs, DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, nonprofit university in the Midwest. It is nationally recognized for incorporating service learning throughout its curriculum and preparing its graduates for a global economy.
DePaul’s tradition of providing a quality education to students from a broad range of backgrounds, with particular attention to first-generation students, has resulted in one of the nation’s most diverse student bodies. More information is online at www.depaul.edu.
###
Media Contact:
Carol Hughes
chughe23@depaul.edu
312-362-8592