Duquesne University on Tuesday named Sarah J. Ewing as its provost and vice president for academic affairs, rounding out an administrative team at a pivotal time in higher education.
Ewing, who was provost and vice president for student experience at Gannon University, succeeds David Dausey, who will become university president July 1. Dausey follows Ken Gormley, who will step down after leading Duquesne for a decade.
“The founding promise of this university, that education transforms lives and that every person deserves access to that transformation, is as urgent and as relevant now as it was in 1878,” Ewing said. “My commitment is to make sure Duquesne is living that promise with full force, full reach and full confidence in who we are.”
Ewing was selected following a national search process with a pool of more than 80 applicants, Dausey said.
“She understands the central role the provost plays in leading the academic enterprise and supporting our world-class faculty, and I look forward to partnering with her to advance our mission and bring forward a bold new chapter in Duquesne’s nearly 150-year history,” Dausey said.
Facing the future
Ewing acknowledged that higher education is facing challenges and changes. Nationwide, colleges and universities experienced a collective 15% decline in enrollment between 2010 and 2021, led mainly by a post-2008 decreasing birth rate and other post-secondary options rising in popularity.
“The demographic cliff is something we’re all facing, and we’re all looking at ways that we can connect with our employers, and the workforce, to meet the needs of our students tomorrow,” Ewing said. “Continuing to work quickly, and work with the faculty to develop programming that will meet those needs, is critical.”
Duquesne officials say the incoming fall class is expected to be the largest in a decade. In 2028, its Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine will graduate its inaugural class, and the university will celebrate its 150th anniversary.
“Institutions, especially Catholic higher education institutions that are really leaning into their mission, is the differentiator that helps prepare our graduates in the changing and evolving workforce of tomorrow,” Ewing said.
As artificial intelligence advances, Ewing will consider ways to incorporate AI literacy into general education curriculum and develop partnerships with outside industries.
“We have huge opportunity to partner with our other regional institutions where we can provide support looking at the ethical and responsible use of the deployment of AI, and how we engage with the community partners to meet some of those needs,” Ewing said.
About Ewing
Ewing became Gannon’s provost in 2023. She started at the Catholic-affiliated college in 2009 and held roles of pre-health professional programs director, professor and chair in the biology department, and dean of Gannon’s college of health professions and sciences.
Ewing said she was most proud of increases to student retention rates during her time at Gannon, and expanding programming and enrollment at its Ruskin, Fla., campus.
“As we grew programs in that new market, it helped support and stabilize some of those enrollment challenges,” she said. “So, how might Duquesne University think about its market and how we serve students in the region, and maybe beyond?”
Before Gannon, Ewing was a biology lecturer at Penn State’s Behrend campus, near Erie, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2001. She earned her doctorate in comparative biological sciences in cell biology from North Carolina State University in 2007.
“I believe in the transformative power of education because I have lived it,” she said. “I grew up in a small, rural Pennsylvania town, and am a first-generation, low-income college graduate, and the oldest of five from a blended family. I understand what education has done for me and what I’ve watched it do for others.”