Dr. Jeff Rutenbeck Joins Arcadia University as Provost & Senior VP for Academic Affairs

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Aug 20, 2019, 16:00 ET

GLENSIDE, Pa., Aug. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a national search, Arcadia University is proud to announce that Dr. Jeff Rutenbeck has joined Arcadia as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. An expert in communication and digital media studies, Dr. Rutenbeck began his tenure at Arcadia Aug. 15.

Dr. Jeff Rutenbeck assumes role as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Arcadia University. Photo by American University.

"Dr. Rutenbeck is an esteemed addition to Arcadia University, to our faculty, and to our entire community of scholars," said Dr. Ajay Nair, president of Arcadia University. "In addition to his distinguished academic, scholarly, and professional pursuits, Dr. Rutenbeck has shown strong support for faculty and staff in the schools and divisions in which he's worked, and he has displayed innovation in many administrative and academic initiatives."

Dr. Rutenbeck previously served as dean of the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw four academic divisions: Journalism, Public Communication, Film and Media Arts, and Communication Studies. The School also includes the Investigative Reporting Workshop, the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, the Center for Media and Social Impact, and the Internet Governance Lab, among other units.

At American, he led the $26 million renovation of the McKinley Building, the School of Communication's home, and efforts that raised approximately $25 million in grants and gifts over the past seven years. He co-chaired the University Research Systems Innovation Task Force, teamed with senior leadership to implement RiSE (Reinventing the Student Experience Initiative), and launched the School of Communication's first fully online master's program. The School of Communication consistently delivered the highest first-to-second year retention rates, as well as the highest graduation rate, of any school at American University.

"I have long admired Arcadia's history of innovation and its commitment to academic excellence and experiential learning," said Dr. Rutenbeck. "I'm thrilled to be joining a community of such dedicated and student-centered faculty and staff."

Prior to joining American, Dr. Rutenbeck served at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., where he was the founding dean of the Division of Communication and Creative Media. He also spent 11 years as the founding director of Digital Media Studies at the University of Denver. Dr. Rutenbeck was a full professor in the School of Communication at American University, a full professor in the Division of Communication and Creative Media at Champlain College, and an associate professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of Denver.

Dr. Rutenbeck has published a book and dozens of refereed articles and book chapters on a variety of topics, including on digitization, hyper-complexity, and media history. He served as founding president and long-serving chair of the Board of the International Digital Media and Arts Association and is an alum of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership run by Arizona State and Georgetown Universities.

Dr. Rutenbeck earned a doctorate in communication from the University of Washington, a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Colorado College.

SOURCE Arcadia University