New Provost Announced - Marten L. denBoer

Dear Members of the University Community: I am pleased to announce the appointment of Marten L. denBoer, Ph.D., as provost of DePaul University. A university leader, scientist and teacher, Marten brings broad experience in higher education to DePaul. In his new role, effective July 1, he will oversee Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management and Marketing, Student Affairs and Teaching and Learning Resources.
As provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Marten is well versed in the day-to-day functions of a university administration. In his current role, he serves as the chief academic officer at Cal Poly Pomona, overseeing eight colleges and more than 150 programs. Valuing close collaboration with faculty, Marten developed and implemented a strategic plan, unanimously endorsed by the Academic Senate, to guide decision making across Cal Poly Pomona. He successfully balanced budgets during periods of dramatic reductions, yet at the same time boosted morale among faculty and staff. He strengthened academic involvement in development, helping result in a $42 million endowment from the Kellogg Foundation and a comprehensive campaign exceeding its $150 million goal.
Above all else, academic excellence and student success are high priorities for Marten. As the associate provost at Queens College in the City University of New York system, he developed new general education requirements and adapted programs to better prepare students for career success. At Hunter College, where he served as a professor and chair of the Physics Department, Marten led a charge to include writing-intensive courses and diversity requirements in the general education sequence. Valuing hands-on and service learning, he mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students. A physicist by training, Marten’s research focuses on the materials used to store and convert energy, particularly in batteries and fuel cells. He has secured multiple research grants from the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. He has served as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and Department of Defense. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from Calvin College and a doctorate in physics from the University of Maryland. Marten’s expertise in energy storage ties closely to his personal interest in the environment and sustainability. He has volunteered for multiple environmental organizations and commuted by bike every day when he lived in New York. He also has a strong commitment to public service and has volunteered at homeless shelters and facilities providing social services to people in need. He speaks multiple languages and has his own multinational background: born to a Dutch family in France and raised in Canada. I would like to thank the search committee, chaired by Board of Trustees member Sr. Margaret Fitzpatrick, S.C. The committee dedicated many hours to conduct the nationwide search, and I am extremely grateful. I also would like to thank David Miller, dean of the College of Computing and Digital Media, for continuing to serve as the interim provost this academic year. I would like to thank each and every one of you for attending the candidate forums and offering your reflections on our website. The search committee and I read every submission and found them both insightful and inspiring as you reflected on the university and what it most needs from its academic leadership. Your support for Marten’s appointment as provost was overwhelming and heart-warming. Faculty and staff not only offered positive comments about his expertise as a leader and scientist, but also his genial disposition and personal commitments to the mission and values we hold so dear. We look forward to welcoming him into the DePaul family. Respectfully, Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M. President Source: Email to DePaul Community, February 18, 2015