Provost

The Provost, the second officer of the university, reports directly to the President and serves as the university’s chief executive officer in the absence of the President. As the chief operating officer of the university, the Provost supervises the activities of the vice presidents and seeks their consensus in support of mutually developed plans. As chief academic officer, the Provost carries broad responsibility for the university’s academic programs and ensures the fulfillment of the university’s academic goals. The Provost holds both these roles to guarantee that all university activities contribute to the fulfillment of La Sierra’s academic mission.

Dr. April Summitt assumed the role of Provost on July 1, 2020. She first joined the La Sierra University community in 2013 as the University’s first Dean of General Education. In that role she worked with colleagues and Faculty Senate to effect significant policy changes and revitalize the general education program. In 2016, Dr. Summitt was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Not only did she shape a strategic plan for the 16 departments of the College that included necessary foci on building pathways to facilitate student access to and through college, but also she made connections and partnerships with local school districts, the Riverside Chambers of Commerce, Riverside Police Department, the Arlington Youth Innovation Center, Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center, the Mission Inn Foundation, and Bourns, Incorporated.

Summitt holds a PhD in History from Western Michigan University, has authored four books, two of them refereed publications, as well as numerous scholarly articles. Her record as a teacher at both undergraduate and graduate levels at Andrews University and Arizona State University is exemplary.

Additionally, Dr. Summitt served as a founding member of the interdisciplinary School of Letters and Sciences at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic Campus. While there, she co-founded the department of Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication and a program in History and Culture with six program tracks for which she drafted the curriculum: Environmental History and Culture, History and Culture of the American Southwest, History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, History and Public Policy, Archival Preservation and Digital Media, and History for Secondary Teachers.