Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Mun Choi announced that Dr. Nina Rovinelli Heller, the Dean and Zachs Endowed Professor of Social Work, will serve as Interim Director of the Hartford Campus in addition to leading the School of Social Work. “She is a talented and committed leader who will oversee the transition of the campus to downtown Hartford, assure the campus and its programs and services are strong and effectively support faculty and students, and continue the development of important partnerships to strengthen our commitment to education, research, and outreach in the Capitol Region and beyond,” said Provost Choi. The University will conduct a national search in 2017 in order to have a permanent director in place by the fall term.

In Heller’s message to the SSW faculty and staff she said, “I have shared with those in the Provost’s Office my strong commitment to the School of Social Work and our need to continue to move forward with the progress we are making in terms of our scholarly work, our visibility within the university and nationally, and with new community engaged, interdepartmental and interprofessional partnerships.” At the same time, Dr. Heller looks forward to the opportunity to collaborate with other members of the Hartford Campus leadership team and units and with their faculty, staff, and students.