Nancy Targett, acting president at the University of Delaware, will become provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Hampshire. A member of the faculty at Delaware since 1984, she has served as dean of its College of Earth, Ocean and Environment and director of Delaware Sea Grant since 2005. She will start as UNH’s senior academic administrator on Sept. 1.
"Nancy brings an enormous breadth of experience to this role,” said UNH President Mark Huddleston. “She recognizes the many challenges facing higher education across the country. I am confident she is the person to strengthen the quality of our academic and research programs as we enhance UNH’s profile as a top-tier research university.”
During her time at the University of Delaware, Targett led the development of two cross-university majors; supported the creation of a number of partnerships to enhance cultural exchange and advancement, including the Confucius Institute; spearheaded the transformation of the College of Marine Studies into the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment; and fostered the development of a university-wide entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem.
Targett earned her doctorate in oceanography at the University of Maine. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, and she earned her master’s in marine science at the University of Miami. A nationally recognized expert on ocean issues, she is immediate past chair of the board of trustees of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership and immediate past treasurer of the Sea Grant Association. She has served on the Ocean Studies Board at the National Academy of Sciences and the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council.
“I am honored and excited by the opportunity to serve as provost and vice president for academic affairs at UNH,” said Targett. “Its strengths in undergraduate and graduate education and its commitment to research and public service reflect the values I have embraced throughout my career. I look forward to working with President Huddleston and his leadership team and to meeting and getting to know the faculty, students and staff on UNH's three campuses.”
P.T. Vasudevan, who served as interim provost since May 2015, will return to his role as senior vice provost for academic affairs.
“I am extraordinarily grateful to Dr. Vasudevan—“Vasu” to one and all—for his dedication, imagination and commitment to the university,” said Huddleston. “He has accomplished a huge amount of work in a very short period of time. In addition to undertaking a review of RCM and hiring two new deans, he has led our work to make the university a national leader in preparing our students for professional success in their lives after college. I look forward to his continued services as senior vice provost.”
