College of Arts and Sciences
May 28, 2020
Following a wide-ranging national search, the University of Portland has chosen from within its internal ranks for a new Provost of the institution. Dr. Herbert A. Medina, currently Dean of UP’s College of Arts & Sciences, will assume the role of Provost effective July 1. University President Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., made the announcement today to faculty, staff, and students. Dr. Medina succeeds Dr. Thomas G. Greene, who is retiring on June 30 after 35 years at UP, including the last seven years as Provost.
“After the conclusion of a comprehensive national search featuring a deep, diverse, and talented candidate pool, I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Herbert A. Medina as the next Provost of the University of Portland,” said Father Poorman in his announcement. “A remarkable educator, scholar, and leader, Dr. Medina is the right person to guide UP’s academic division as we chart our University’s bright future.”
“I am thrilled and humbled to be given the wonderful opportunity and awesome responsibility to serve as Provost at University of Portland,” said Dr. Medina. “I have spent my entire professional career in Catholic higher education. Taking on this role to serve UP students alongside talented, hard-working faculty, staff, and under the visionary leadership of Father Poorman, is going to be my most exciting and rewarding challenge yet.”
Dr. Medina has served as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and as Professor of Mathematics since 2018. His leadership of CAS has been marked by devotion to student wellbeing and success, dedication to faculty support and development, and unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He has been a champion of experiential learning, directed the study and development of new academic programs, and has already played an important role in faculty and staff searches at the University.
An exemplary teacher-scholar, Dr. Medina is rightly beloved by his students and has earned widespread recognition for his research in functional analysis, wavelets, and polynomial approximations. He is deeply committed to the University’s Catholic and Holy Cross mission and its call for all community members to be engaged in the work of social justice, radical hospitality, and advancement of the Catholic intellectual tradition. As a leader and a colleague, Dr. Medina’s style is communicative, transparent, collaborative, compassionate, and humbly confident.
Prior to joining UP, Dr. Medina enjoyed a highly successful 26-year career as a professor and administrative leader at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He was Associate Dean of LMU’s Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering before his appointment as CAS Dean at UP. He holds a B.S. in mathematics and computer science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Medina was born in El Salvador, came to the United States at the age of eight along with his family, and is a proud first-generation college student. He is passionate about increasing higher education participation among underrepresented groups. Among his many accomplishments and awards, Dr. Medina was recognized by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science with the 2014 Distinguished Undergraduate Institution Mentor Award.
The University engaged the services of the Portland office for Philadelphia-based executive search consultants Opus Partners and founding partner Jim Hess, Ph.D., to lead the recruitment of its new Provost. A search committee representing multiple academic disciplines and administrative areas conducted the national search alongside Father Poorman, attracting more than 300 qualified candidates.University of Portland
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