Heather Lobban-Viravong

Prior to assuming her role at Ursinus in July 2018, Dr. Lobban-Viravong served as Senior Associate to the President at SUNY Geneseo. She also spent 16 years on the faculty at Grinnell College, five of which were spent as an Associate Dean. In her capacity as Associate Dean, she played a leadership role in designing programs to improve faculty development and support their integration into the liberal arts approach to teaching, including the creation of a highly successful mentoring program for new faculty. With a PhD in English from the University at Buffalo (State University of New York), Dr. Lobban-Viravong has a wide range of scholarly interests. She has also been an active participant and presenter at national conferences devoted to higher education administration. She was selected as a 2013-14 participant in the Senior Leadership Academy of the Council of Independent Colleges and American Academic Leadership Institute, a development program for promising candidates for cabinet level academic positions. Beyond her current duties as vice president for inclusion and community engagement at Ursinus, she believes in the importance of maintaining close connections to students through personal advising, mentoring, and engagement in programs that support student success.