Winchester, Va. (April 17, 2013) – Adrienne G. Bloss, Ph.D., associate dean for academic affairs and institutional relations at Roanoke College, has been named Shenandoah University’s next vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Bloss will begin her new position on July 8, 2013. She was selected from pool of more than 125 applicants, and will succeed Bryon L. Grigsby, Ph.D., who departs Shenandoah at the close of the academic year after serving on the leadership team at Shenandoah since July 1, 2008.
“I am thrilled to welcome Adrienne to the ranks of senior administration at Shenandoah,” said President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D. “Her impressive academic credentials and extensive resume made her the clear and unanimous choice for this position. Adrienne understands our institution and will excel in identifying ways to raise our university’s academic profile.”
“I couldn’t be more excited about joining Shenandoah’s vibrant community of ideas and possibilities,” said Bloss. “The university has a deep dedication to quality education and personal development. Many people contribute to making Shenandoah a wonderful place — students, faculty, staff, trustees and alumni, along with a great community in and around Winchester. I’m so pleased and proud to call Shenandoah my home.”
Bloss is no stranger to Shenandoah, as she received and completed the prestigious American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship with the university during the 2010-11 school year and spent that time learning alongside of Fitzsimmons and other senior administrators. As an ACE Fellow, Bloss focused on the areas of budget process, institutional advancement and institutional identity. The fellowship also included seminars, intensive learning opportunities and campus visits across the country.
“My ACE fellowship gave me a broader understanding of the landscape of higher education and of how individuals and institutions can contribute to the educational challenges we face as a nation and a world,” said Bloss. “It also gave me the opportunity to get to know Shenandoah — its core values, its history, its programs and, most importantly, its people. Tracy was a wonderful mentor, and I am looking forward to working with her and everyone in the community as Shenandoah takes its place as a leader in higher education.”
As Roanoke’s associate dean for academic affairs and institutional relations, Bloss has focused on bringing visibility to academic endeavors at the college. That process includes working to identify and develop innovative programs that garner external attention; identifying and cultivating external support for academic programs; and developing clear and consistent messages about those programs. During her tenure, Bloss was instrumental in the development of a new college-wide honors program and the significant expansion of the national scholarship program.
Bloss is also a professor of computer science and mathematics. In previous roles at Roanoke, she oversaw general education as well as curricular and faculty development, and led the implementation of a new general education curriculum in 2009. Prior to her service at Roanoke, she served on the faculty at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University as an assistant professor of computer science.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Virginia, master’s and doctoral degrees in computer science from Yale University and, in 2006, completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University.