Kersten named Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies

UW-Green Bay Prof. Andrew Kersten has been named the University’s Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies. He will assume his new duties July 1.

Kersten, chair of the department of Democracy and Justice Studies (formerly Social Change and Development), succeeds outgoing Associate Provost Timothy Sewall, who is retiring effective June 30 after serving UW-Green Bay for more than 33 years. Kersten was selected following an internal search that yielded three qualified finalists who were interviewed in mid-December.

In his new role, Kersten will assume responsibility for International Education programs and services, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, FOCUS and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. In addition, Kersten will direct the University’s Graduate Studies program and serve as the institution’s Accreditation Liaison Officer with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. He brings an array of talent and experience to the position, said Julia Wallace, UW-Green Bay Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

“I know Professor Kersten to be a collaborative leader, a creative thinker and a strong advocate for faculty and staff development and student success,” Wallace said. “His experience in a wide variety of University activities, as well as community and System-wide areas, supports my belief that he will be able to enter a complex position with competence and confidence. I look forward to working with him.”

A noted historian, researcher and author, Kersten is the Siegfried Frankenthal Professor of History at UW-Green Bay. He has taught at the University since 1997, offering a wide variety of courses including the U.S. History Survey, U.S. Immigration History, U.S. Economic and Business History and Wisconsin History. His awards and honors include UW-Green Bay Founders Association awards for excellence in collaboration (2006), teaching (2007), scholarship (2008) and outreach (2009). He also received a student-nominated teaching award at the University in 2011.

Kersten’s research and writing have centered on the experiences of workers in the late 19th and 20th centuries. He is the author of numerous published works, including articles, chapters, encyclopedia entries and books. His books include “Clarence Darrow: American Iconoclast” (Hill and Wang, 2011), “Labor’s Home Front: The American Federation of Labor and World War II” (New York University Press, 2006), and “A. Philip Randolph: A Life in the Vanguard” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006). Kersten also has an interest in public history, and helped create a digital archive of World War I records from Brown County, along with a Pullman Porter exhibit at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay.

Throughout his career, Kersten has received numerous grants and fellowships, and has presented papers, moderated conference sessions and served as an invited lecturer both across Wisconsin and nationwide. He has maintained a strong record of service at UW-Green Bay, including as a member of Faculty Senate, various search and screen committees and in advisory and mentorship roles.

The longtime UW-Green Bay faculty member was chosen from a very qualified group of finalists, Wallace said.

“I was pleased that we had a very strong candidate pool,” she said. “It shows the commitment and interest of our faculty to the future success of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.”