Meet the Acting Provost

Cynthia Cooper, Ph.D., assumed the role of acting provost for academic affairs on February 1, 2023 after serving as vice provost since July 2022.

Dr. Cooper oversees faculty development programming, sabbatical leave and promotion and tenure processes, faculty recruitment and retention programs, academic affairs policies and procedures, and new faculty orientation. She assists with the implementation of academic affairs priorities as lead administer of the following units: FACET (Faculty Academic Center of Excellence), International Initiatives, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, Commencement, and Academic Affairs strategic campaigns and communication. 

Cooper received her B.S. in Mass Communication from the University of Tulsa, a M.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Oklahoma, and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Her research interests focus on communication law and policy, the competing rights and responsibilities of the First Amendment, and regulation of hate speech.

Beyond teaching she has served in numerous academic administrative roles including department chair, interim Associate Dean, Council of Chairs co-chair, and Vice Provost. She is the recipient of research and teaching fellowships from the Annenberg Washington Policy Center, the Center for the Study of Media and Society, the National Association of Television Producers and Executives, and the International Radio and Television Society.