Campus Connection

[caption id="attachment_10604" align="alignright" width="134" caption="Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson"][/caption]

Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson to return to the Midwest from the UK

A Minnesota native who currently lives in England will return to the Midwest to become Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UW-L. Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson, who currently serves as Pro Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at De Montfort University in Leicester, England, will begin her new UW-L position effective July 1. “I am thrilled to be returning to the Midwest to join UW-L and look forward to the new challenges and opportunities this will bring,” says Macpherson. “I know we have a lot to do to prepare for our upcoming university accreditation and I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues.” Macpherson says her 22-year experience overseas will help her transition into her role at UW-L, where she’s already taken note of an emphasis on academics. “I have been impressed by the care and attention offered to the student experience at UW-L, by the real sense of community shown by students, faculty and staff, and by the welcome I have already received,” she says. Macpherson received a bachelor’s of arts, Summa Cum Laude, in English and creative writing from St. Cloud (Minn.) State University. During her degree program she had an opportunity to study abroad for a semester in the British Studies program at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. Following graduation from St. Cloud in 1990, she returned to the United Kingdom and became a dual national in 2003. Macpherson received a doctorate in contemporary North American women’s writing from the University of Newcastle in 1996 and began her academic career at the University of Central Lancashire, where she worked from 1995-2007. From 2007-10, she was Dean of Humanities at De Montfort University. She was promoted to the role of Pro Vice Chancellor Teaching, Learning and Student in 2010, and began her current role in 2011. Macpherson, a member of numerous scholarly societies, has published several books and articles. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, reading, creative writing and going to the cinema. Macpherson was selected from an international search. She follows former Provost Kathleen Enz Finken, who resigned in December to become Provost at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, Calif.