Provost Leadership Update

August 5, 2026

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

I hope your summer has been rejuvenating and enjoyable.

As we prepare for the coming academic year, I am pleased to share a few updates from across Academic Affairs. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to strengthening collaboration, expanding support, and enhancing LMU students' success.

Academic Programs, Strategy, and Innovation

Earlier this spring, I shared that José Badenes, S.J., concluded his service as vice provost for Academic Integration and Engagement and senior international officer to assume his new role as rector of the Jesuit Community at LMU. As part of a restructuring of this position, I am pleased to announce that Mairead Sullivan, Ph.D., will serve as associate provost for Academic Programs and Strategy, effective Aug. 1, 2026.

In her new role, Professor Sullivan will provide leadership for undergraduate and graduate education, aligning academic programs and resources with the university's strategic priorities. Her portfolio includes the University Core Curriculum, the University Honors Program, and other undergraduate academic initiatives, while partnering with the school and college deans to support graduate education. Professor Sullivan will also lead the university's strategy for academic innovation, including the thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies into teaching, learning, and scholarship.

She is professor of Women's and Gender Studies and has served as special assistant to the provost for Artificial Intelligence and director of the Core Curriculum. She is the author of “Lesbian Death: Desire and Danger between Feminist and Queer” (University of Minnesota Press, 2022), an award-winning book that was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. Professor Sullivan also serves as principal investigator for the Mellon Foundation-funded project “Habitable Worlds: A Disability, Ethics, and AI Think Tank” and directs the Viral Imaginaries Lab at LMU.

As Professor Sullivan transitions into her new responsibilities, a call for a new Core director will be forthcoming.

Senior International Officer

I am also pleased to announce that Ammar Dalal, Ed.D., MBA, associate vice provost for Graduate and Professional Education, has been appointed LMU's senior international officer.

In this role, Professor Dalal will lead the university's global engagement strategy by strengthening partnerships with universities, governments, and industry around the world while advancing opportunities for international collaboration in education, research, and student mobility. Working closely with faculty and academic leaders, he will help expand LMU's global reach in ways that support our mission and strategic priorities.

Professor Dalal currently oversees enrollment strategy for LMU's more than 50 graduate and professional programs. He brings more than 16 years of leadership experience in international enrollment management, partnerships, admissions, marketing, recruitment, and financial aid, having previously served at Santa Clara University, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Harrison College.

Academic Initiatives and Program in Writing and Rhetoric

In addition, I am pleased to announce that I’ve appointed Jennifer Pate, Ph.D., professor of economics, as special assistant to the provost for Academic Initiatives, effective July 1, 2026. In this role, Professor Pate will support the planning and advancement of academic initiatives across the university, including serving as the interim director of the new Program in Writing and Rhetoric, a university-wide initiative to strengthen undergraduate writing and build a sustainable structure for the faculty who teach in the program. She will conduct research, analysis, and benchmarking to inform academic planning and decision-making, with a particular focus on faculty, enrollment, and institutional data. Working collaboratively across Academic Affairs, Professor Pate will help develop proposals, implementation plans, and strategies that advance priorities such as student retention, summer enrollment and curricula, institutional effectiveness, and long-term financial sustainability.

Professor Pate brings extensive leadership experience in academic administration, curricular innovation, faculty governance, and student success. She has served as Faculty Senate president, chair of the Economics Department, BCLA associate dean, and has contributed to university-level work through the President’s Strategic Planning Committee, University Budget Planning Committee, and BCLA College Council, and related planning and student-success groups.

Professor Pate has been recognized for excellence in teaching and service, including as LMU Economics Teacher of the Year and as an LMU Crimson and Blue Outstanding Professor, and has authored economics textbooks designed to broaden economic literacy for non-majors. Her scholarship has appeared in leading journals, including the Economic Journal, Economic Inquiry, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Political Research Quarterly, and the Journal of Economic Perspectives.

I look forward to supporting these roles as they reflect our commitment to putting students first in everything we do. Together, they will create new opportunities for student success, strengthen collaboration across the university, and advance initiatives that enhance the overall student experience. Please join me in congratulating Mairead, Ammar, and Jennifer on their appointments. I am excited to partner with them as we continue to advance our academic mission and serve our LMU community.

With appreciation,

Kat Weaver, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
Professor of Biology