Purdue University Northwest (PNW) announced Marie Mora will join the university as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, effective July 15, 2024.

Mora was selected following a national search. She most recently served as deputy provost at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has played impactful roles in public higher education institutions for nearly three decades, including extensive experience at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Mora to Purdue University Northwest, where she will work collaboratively with our faculty and staff members to guide PNW’s continuing upward trajectory in academic excellence, sponsored research and workforce development for our local communities,” said PNW Chancellor Kenneth C. Holford. “Dr. Mora’s scholarly background and student-focused research align closely with our institutional mission of providing transformative change for our metropolitan area and developing the best outcomes for our students.”

A labor economist, Mora has been invited to share her research expertise on Hispanic/Latino socioeconomic outcomes with institutions and agencies across the country, including the White House, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Labor Statistics. She also has been Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI on $4 million in federally funded projects, including multiple National Science Foundation projects.

As PNW’s chief academic officer, Mora will oversee PNW's six programmatic colleges and the academic programs they offer, the Office of International Programs and Partnerships, retention efforts, institutional effectiveness and the Office of Sponsored Research. She will ensure educational excellence and further distinctive learning opportunities for students.

“I am delighted to have been selected to serve as Purdue University Northwest’s next Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, particularly at this exciting time in the institution’s and region’s trajectories,” said Mora. “With my rich experience in higher education, including holding leadership roles in the creation of a new university similar to PNW’s formation, as well as in student and faculty success at Hispanic-Serving Institutions with numerous first-generation college students, I look forward to serving as Chancellor Holford’s thought-partner in helping to cultivate PNW’s impact on workforce development and the economic and community transformation of northwestern Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan region.”

Mora started serving as deputy provost at MSU Denver in August 2022, where she also served as provost ad interim and executive vice president for Academic Affairs from February 2023 to January 2024. Previously she served in leadership and faculty positions at University of Missouri – St. Louis and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and as director of the NSF-funded American Economic Association Mentoring Program.

Mora earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A&M University. She received both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in economics from the University of New Mexico in her hometown of Albuquerque.