Peter Norberg, Rajneesh Sharma appointed as associate provosts

The office of the provost announced the appointment of two professors as associate provosts. Peter Norberg, Ph.D., professor of English, is the new associate provost for faculty and academic support, and Rajneesh Sharma, Ph.D., associate professor of finance, is the new associate provost for assessment and strategic planning.

Both appointments were announced by Jeanne Brady, Ph.D., provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, via email on April 13. Norberg and Sharma officially begin their tenures on June 5.

Paul Aspan, Ph.D., the current associate provost for faculty and academic support, will officially resign May 31. He has served in this position since 2014.

The appoint of two associate provosts is historic, as there has traditionally been only one. Sharma’s appointment signals an effort to bring both schools together and focus on online education.

“[Brady] has done a terrific job in seeing the needs in academic affairs by creating the second position for associate provost,” Aspan said. “To have both Dr. Sharma and Dr. Norberg in place says a lot for the vision of the provost.”

Aspan has never stopped thinking of himself as first and foremost a teacher, just like Norberg and Sharma.

In his newly appointed role, Norberg will also lead the Office of Teaching and Learning, Fellowships and the Faith-Justice Institute, according to Brady’s email.

“In my role, I will help advocate for academic support,” Norberg said. “I will also help to support academic development in both the College of Arts and Sciences and Haub School of Business.”

According to Aspan, Norberg will bring research and administrative experience along with strong Jesuit values to his new role.

“I look forward to continuing the Jesuit mission,” Norberg says. “I also want to have a strong focus on the Liberal Arts education.”

Sharma will oversee online education initiatives at St. Joe’s as a part of his newly appointed role.

“I want to focus on quality in our online education,” Sharma said. “There are different ways to make improvements. At the end of the day, improving quality is the main focus.”

Sharma is excited for the coming semester and is looking forward to his new role.

“I’m excited to begin addressing certain areas. I’m honored to have been considered for this position.”

Sharma said he’s thrilled to work alongside Norberg in the near future. He said he looks forward to making an impact.

“Dr. Norberg is a great friend and colleague,” Sharma said. “He’s an exceptional person that I look forward to working with.”