UC Hires New Associate Provost

The University of Cincinnati is pleased to announce the hiring of Keisha M. Love as Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Special Initiatives in the Office of the Provost.

Love previously served as Chair of the Department of Psychology at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia since 2014, and served in a similar capacity in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky from 2012 to 2014. In 2011 she was Director of Graduate Studies in that same department at UK.

In her new position, Love will lead the Provost’s Cluster Hiring Initiative, which identifies and funds areas in which faculty members from a variety of disciplines collaborate to advance UC's transdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary academic and research mission. In her role as associate provost, she will direct faculty recruitment and retention efforts, including the Dual Career Assistance Program and the Strategic Hiring Opportunity Initiatives for the Provost’s Office.

“As a champion of diversity, inclusion and equity, and with an equally strong background in faculty development Keisha will assist us, and challenge our community to meet and hopefully escalate these institutional imperatives,” said Peter E. Landgren, interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

“I know that UC is strongly committed to increasing under-represented faculty while fostering an affirming and inclusive campus culture” said Love, “and in this role I hope to play a key role in furthering these initiatives.”

As chair, Love led the psychology department for five years, while also managing a mentoring program for junior faculty and evaluating promotion and tenure portfolios. Those experiences have informed her approach in the recruitment and retention of faculty. As an African-American who has done a considerable amount of work with faculty from traditionally underrepresented communities, she understands the additional barriers some faculty, staff and students have faced.

Love is attracted to UC because it embodies excellence, innovation and inclusion. “Being at an institution with the reputation for being on an upward trajectory is really appealing to me.”

Love earned a B.S. degree in Psychology at Kentucky State University in 1998 and an M.S. degree in Education at the University of Kentucky in 1999. In 2005, she was awarded her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Love, a professor of psychology, still enjoys working in the classroom. In her new role at UC she hopes to teach one class per year. She believes, “Teaching keeps me grounded with students and keeps me abreast of the experiences that faculty have in the classroom.”