Georgia State University President Mark Becker has named Wendy Hensel, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs since July 1, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Hensel took on the interim role after Risa Palm, professor of geosciences, returned to the university faculty this summer following a decade as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

As provost, Hensel is the chief academic officer, reporting to the president. She oversees the development and implementation of the university’s academic programs and policies, supervises the university’s deans and associate provosts, and directs international initiatives, graduate policy and programming, institutional effectiveness research and reporting, strategic planning and assessment of learning outcomes and academic programs.

She directs activities in the recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion of faculty, and will help direct efforts to implement ways to increase faculty diversity and inclusion. Hensel also develops and manages the portion of the university budget allocated to academic programs and functions, and represents Georgia State in academic affairs activities at the state and national levels.

Dean of the College of Law since 2017 until her appointment as interim provost in the summer, Hensel is a nationally recognized expert on employment discrimination and special education. Her scholarship has appeared in leading books, peer-reviewed publications and law reviews, and her work has been cited by courts, media outlets and scholars nationally and internationally.

Prior to heading the College of Law, Hensel was the college’s first associate dean for research and faculty development. She created innovative professional development programs and fostered best practices in legal education. Hensel also led the development and implementation of the college’s strategic plan.

Hensel is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned a Truman Scholarship, one of the highest national honors awarded to undergraduates. She earned her juris doctor degree with honors at the Harvard Law School, then clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Orinda Evans in the Northern District of Georgia.

Hensel practiced labor and employment law with the law firm of Alston & Bird, litigating discrimination cases and counseling Fortune 500 companies on compliance with the Americans with Disability Act. She is a strong advocate for people with disabilities and is on the board of directors of several organizations committed to their full inclusion in society.