Dr. Beverly J. Warren returned to Virginia Commonwealth University as interim provost in June, 2025, bringing decades of experience in academic leadership and a deep commitment to student success, faculty excellence, and institutional advancement. Her previous tenure at VCU spans nearly 15 years, serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs from 2011 to 2014 and holding various senior administrative roles that shaped the university’s trajectory.

While at VCU, Warren played a key role in academic quality and student success, overseeing significant improvements such as increasing the baccalaureate six-year graduation rate and expanding internal financial aid, tripling the availability of institutional funding. She led initiatives to enhance curriculum offerings, developing new doctoral and master’s programs in emerging fields, increasing online course availability, and spearheading efforts to improve transfer student enrollment through targeted partnerships with Virginia’s Community Colleges.

Warren also had a lasting impact on faculty and institutional leadership, adding more than 150 faculty positions, expanding faculty support programs, and launching VCU’s Great Place Initiative to enhance faculty and staff development. She championed research growth, securing major grants—including an $18.3 million NIH grant to establish the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products—and significantly expanding undergraduate research opportunities.

Warren’s VCU experience includes serving as chair of the Council of Deans, and co-chair of the President’s Task Force for the University Strategic Plan, helping shape the future of VCU’s academic and administrative direction.

From 2014 to 2019, Warren served as president of Kent State University, where she led transformative initiatives to expand student success, research, and global engagement. Under her leadership, Kent State achieved record enrollments, maintained a first-year retention rate of over 80%, and awarded more than 52,000 degrees. 

She spearheaded the development of 33 new degree programs in high-demand fields, launched interdisciplinary research institutes—including the Brain Health Research Institute and the School of Peace and Conflict Studies—and nearly doubled external research funding. She also expanded international partnerships, securing agreements with 27 countries and overseeing a record number of study abroad students, positioning Kent State among the top 5% of U.S. institutions for international student enrollment.

She holds a doctorate in exercise physiology from Auburn University and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, along with a doctoral fellowship in educational psychology from the University of Florida. She earned her master’s degree in health and physical education from Southern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in the same field from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

As interim provost, Warren continues to build on her legacy at VCU, guiding the university through a transitional period, promoting faculty excellence, strengthening academic programs, and fostering institutional innovation through research and student engagement.

View Beverly Warren's full CV