Rebecca Thomas named associate provost for faculty advancement
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 10, 2025) — University of Kentucky Provost Robert DiPaola, M.D., has announced S. Rebecca Thomas, Ph.D., as the new associate provost for faculty advancement, effective July 7.
The associate provost for faculty advancement leads the Office for Faculty Advancement and the university in developing and operationalizing policies affecting the faculty life cycle and guiding faculty development and success. This includes professional development and faculty awards and recognition.
Thomas currently serves as the executive vice president for academic affairs and dean of the university at Transylvania University, a position she has held since 2020.
“Dr. Thomas holds a wealth of experience in faculty support and development through her leadership roles, both at Transylvania University and other institutions,” DiPaola said. “UK’s faculty are an important part of our teaching, research and service missions, and supporting them through their professional journeys is key to ensuring our collective success. I am confident that Dr. Thomas will help our faculty grow to new heights.”
At Transylvania, Thomas led all faculty and academic support services, including the library, the Academic Center for Excellence and the Center for Academic and Professional Enrichment. She initiated two transfer pathway agreements with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, as well as pathway agreements with graduate programs at other Kentucky institutions.
Thomas also worked closely with faculty to develop and implement a number of new academic minors at Transylvania.
“As a faculty member myself, I believe very strongly in the role that faculty play in advancing a university’s mission,” Thomas said. “The University of Kentucky faculty are exceptionally talented and incredibly committed to their students and communities, and I am thrilled at this opportunity to work alongside them.”
Prior to her tenure at Transylvania, Thomas was vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Earlham College in Indiana and dean of the college at Bard College in New York.
She has also taught computer science and information systems at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including courses such as computer architecture, algorithms and artificial intelligence.
Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University, with expertise in the area of information technology.
She will be replacing Lisa Tannock, M.D., who served as UK’s associate provost for faculty advancement since July 2023. Tannock will begin a new phase in her career as dean of Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Understanding deeply the importance of faculty in UK’s missions of teaching, research, service and care, Tannock worked to support faculty in innovative ways. At UK, she dedicated her career to both student and faculty success through mentoring students, guiding faculty through processes like tenure and promotion and advocating for the development of teaching and leadership skills.
“Dr. Tannock has led the Office for Faculty Advancement and its efforts to champion our faculty body through insightful and ongoing programming,” DiPaola said. “She helped highlight faculty ingenuity and innovation through the Sabbatical Showcase, and she supported the growth of faculty by helping launch a recurring series of workshops focused on the promotion and tenure processes. I know she will bring this same dedication to faculty development to her new role, and I thank her for all she has accomplished for UK.”
Learn more about the Office for Faculty Advancement and how it supports the work of faculty at UK at ofa.uky.edu/.
