Loyola University New Orleans announced the appointment of Thomas A. Chambers, Ph.D., as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. He will begin this role in early June.
Chambers joins Loyola from Canisius University, where he has served as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences since 2019. In this role, he was responsible for increasing enrollment via new degree programs and updating more than 20 existing offerings, including online delivery. Additionally, Chambers worked with the School of Education and Human Services to realign programs and merge departments, as well as created an Innovation Fund focusing on pedagogy, pre-tenure faculty, and advancing longstanding associate professors toward promotion. His accomplishments as dean also include forming the Canisius Center for Analytics and Data Ecosystems, in partnership with the Wehle School of Business, and creating a Student Advisory Council for student input on critical issues, among others.
With more than 20 years of experience, Chambers’ higher education leadership expertise, along with his commitment to academic innovation and his impressive scholarship and research portfolio, distinguished him among a competitive pool of candidates.
“Dr. Chambers is an outstanding administrator and an impressive scholar,” said President Xavier Cole. “We are very pleased to welcome him to Loyola, where his experience and passion for Jesuit higher education will continue to elevate our academic programs and commitment to holistic student development.”
Chambers currently serves on the Niagara Frontier State Park, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Commission, and the Board of Trustees at the Nichols School. At Niagara University (NU), he earned tenure and promotion to Professor in the History Department, and served for periods as NU’s Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, History Department Chair, Graduate Studies Strategic Enrollment Director, Director of the Master’s program in Interdisciplinary Studies, and Director of the Liberal Arts major. He previously served as President of the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, and helped lead statewide public history projects related to the War of 1812 Bicentennial and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Path Through History Task Force.
“Jesuit education transforms lives intellectually, spiritually, and financially, and that work inspires me on a daily basis,” Chambers shared. “The opportunity to help sustain and grow a university that fosters that kind of transformative education drew me to apply.”
In 2016, Chambers was elected to the New York Academy of History. He earned a Ph.D. in American History and an M.A. in History, both from the College of William and Mary, and a B.A. from Middlebury College. Chambers is the recipient of three National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks in American History and Culture grants, and his most recent book is “Memories of War: Visiting Battlegrounds and Bonefields in the Early American Republic” (Cornell University Press, 2012, 2018). He is an avid cyclist, eager to discover new routes in New Orleans—preferably with a coffee shop along the way.
Original source can be found here.