About

Angela Dillard, vice provost for undergraduate education, plays a pivotal role in advancing continuous enhancements in the university’s educational mission for a diverse community of over 34,000 undergraduate students. In collaboration with schools and colleges with undergraduate degree programs, Vice Provost Dillard orchestrates cross-campus initiatives designed to promote student success and enrich the educational experience of Michigan students. In pursuit of the goal of bringing aspects of the national student success movement to Michigan, she works with teams of faculty, advisors, data analysts, administrators, professional staff members – and students themselves – to promote academic success and wellbeing through data-driven and evidence-informed initiatives, educational technologies and best practices culled from our own institution and others. 

The Vice Provost also takes the lead in the Higher Learning Commission central accreditation process, championing excellence and compliance in academic standards for the university. Additionally, she leads the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (OVPUE) and supports the work of the Advising Council at the University of Michigan as well as the UmichVotes Coalition.

Core Work

Across the undergraduate experience, OVPUE promotes policies, practices, and partnerships that sustain a culture of care and excellence while equipping faculty and staff with the resources and guidance needed to create inclusive, high-impact learning environments inside and beyond the classroom. OVPUE’s efforts focus on five areas of impact:

  • Student Success Strategies – OVPUE’s approach to student success is to meet students where they are with support that is holistic, evidence-based, and tailored to students’ needs. We focus on creating the institutional conditions that promote persistence and thriving, timely progress to degree, and meaningful engagement for all learners.
  • Cross-Campus Collaboration – OVPUE unites students, faculty, and staff together around a shared standard of care. We forge partnerships, align resources and expertise to expand personalized support, elevate student achievement and well-being, close opportunity gaps, and strengthen retention and graduation outcomes across the institution.
  • Academic Policies and Services – OVPUE leads and supports the development of academic policies and services that are streamlined, accessible, and responsive to student needs. We collaborate with units across campus to identify concerns, conduct research, and implement improvements that benefit undergraduate students in all schools and colleges.
  • Educational Technology – OVPUE invests in cutting-edge technologies that support teaching, learning, and student engagement. Through our engagement with technology, we seek to close gaps in accessibility and foster digital fluency to prepare students and educators to thrive in a global environment.
  • Curricular Pedagogies – OVPUE integrates current best practices in curriculum design, management, and delivery to promote student growth, academic excellence, and joy of learning. We incorporate evidence-based, inclusive, and innovative teaching strategies that cultivate active, student-centered learning environments.

Leadership Team

Angela Dillard, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education; Richard A. Meisler Collegiate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies and History in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. She also holds a courtesy appointment in LSA’s Residential College

Michelle D. Ferréz, Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Research & Student Success and Senior Director of Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

Cindy Kerschbaum, Executive Assistant to Assistant Vice Provost for Advising Strategy & Student Success

Tiffany LaPointe, Director of Advising Initiatives

John Vasquez, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success and Senior Director, Comprehensive Studies Program

Kerri Wakefield, Assistant Vice Provost for Advising Strategy & Student Success

Kaylee Weiland, Executive Assistant to Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Hilary Zimmerman, Assistant Director of Student Success, Assessment, and Director of Accreditation


Reporting Units 

Analytics for Student Success and Equity Transformation (ASSET)

ASSET is a group of researchers, faculty, staff, and administrators from several colleges, schools, and offices at the University of Michigan investigating questions related to equity and student success. The aim of ASSET is to serve the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor community by providing analysis that informs decisions about policies and practices that impact equitable student success, as well as to highlight issues that warrant attention.

Center for the Education of Women+ (CEW+)

CEW+ empowers women+ and underserved individuals in the University of Michigan and surrounding communities by serving as an advocate and providing resources to help individuals reach their academic, financial, and professional potential. Women+ and underserved students are CEW+’s primary constituency, but all students are welcome. The Center also serves those who encounter education and career obstacles based on their non-linear paths to, and experiences within, the University community.

Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT)

CRLT promotes excellence, equity, and innovation in teaching in all 19 schools and colleges at the University of Michigan. The Center is dedicated to the support and advancement of evidence-based learning and teaching practices and the professional development of all members of the campus teaching community. CRLT partners with faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and administrators to develop and sustain a university culture that values and rewards teaching, respects and supports individual differences among learners, and creates learning environments in which diverse students and instructors can excel.