Vice President for Academic Planning & Effectiveness
Margaret Kasimatis came to Loyola Marymount University in 2006. She currently serves as vice president for Academic Planning and Effectiveness and holds a faculty appointment in the Psychology Department. Kasimatis earned her B.A. in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Purdue University. Prior to coming to LMU she held full-time faculty positions at Hope College and Harvey Mudd College, and served in academic administration at Harvey Mudd College and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Kasimatis has published journal articles and book chapters on a variety of topics related to social cognition, including social-cognitive theories of motivation, the relationship between emotion and cognition, and the impact of gender terms on perception. More recently her scholarly work has focused on culture change within universities. Kasimatis is also a WASC evaluator, has served on the WASC Interim Report Committee and the WASC Program Review Task Force, and was recently elected to the WASC Senior Accrediting Commission.
As vice president for Academic Planning and Effectiveness, Kasimatis provides leadership for and coordination of academic planning and evaluation processes, including the academic program review process, and plays a key role in university strategic planning. She also works with faculty, staff, and administrators across campus on initiatives to enhance educational effectiveness, particularly those related to faculty development. In addition, through five directors who report to her, Kasimatis provides leadership to the Center for Teaching Excellence, as well as the offices of Faculty Development, Assessment, Institutional Research, and Decision Support. As the University’s WASC liaison, she coordinates campus efforts to meet WASC accreditation standards and prepare for accreditation reviews.