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Mercy College today announced the appointment of Eva M. Fernández, Ph.D., as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Fernández comes to Mercy from Guttman Community College, City University of New York (CUNY), where she has been serving as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost since August 2021. She will oversee all faculty and educational programs and will assume her new position on July 1, 2022. Peter West, Ph.D. who has served as the Interim Provost will resume his role as the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts.

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Eva Fernández, a passionate advocate for social justice and student success, to the senior leadership of Mercy College,” said Mercy College President Tim Hall. “We are grateful to Dr. West for his steadfast leadership and guidance as the Interim Provost for the past 10 months.”

At Guttman, Fernández oversees the development of innovative and impactful academic programs aimed at preparing students to successfully enter the workforce or continue to complete a four-year baccalaureate degree. Throughout her career in higher education administration, she has led projects and programs designed to advance faculty expertise in teaching, improve and deepen learning, and advance the College’s mission. Her expertise is centered on matters related to teaching and learning, particularly how faculty development, institutionalized course redesign, informal learning pedagogies, experiential education, and peer mentoring influence student learning.

“This is an exciting time in the history of Mercy College, a time of great renewal and opportunity,” said Dr. Fernández. “The resilience and dedication that Mercy’s students, faculty, alumni, and administration have had to summon during the past two years signal a deep commitment by a community that is now primed for rejuvenation and growth. I look forward to our work together as we refresh and recommit to a revitalized vision of student success.”

Prior to her position at Guttman, Fernández spent 21 years at Queens College (CUNY), achieving tenure in 2007 and full professorship in 2015. Her teaching was augmented by a series of administrative roles with increasing responsibility, including executive leadership positions in the Office of the Provost and culminating in her position as Associate Provost for Innovation and Student Success. She has served on multiple doctoral dissertation committees; held doctoral faculty appointments within three programs at CUNY Graduate Center; advised visiting graduate students and visiting faculty from Brazil and Japan; and lectured in Russia, Brazil and throughout the United States. She holds both a doctorate and a Master of Arts in linguistics from CUNY Graduate School and University Center and graduated Magna Cum Laude from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics (German).

 
Fernández is a prolific author whose publications include a textbook, Fundamentals of Psycholinguistics, as well as nearly 40 scholarly articles, book chapters and a monograph. She is an invited presenter at .dozens of renowned conferences in the U.S. and worldwide. She has been awarded research funding from federal agencies and private foundations, including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Fernández has served on or chaired numerous committees, advisory boards, task forces and governing councils, including service for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. She has performed in an advisory capacity to a host of community and professional organizations in the U.S. as well as in Brazil, Japan, Spain, Portugal and Italy.