Loyola University Chicago Names Douglas W. Woods, PhD as Provost and Chief Academic Officer

CHICAGO – February 19, 2024 

Loyola University Chicago announced today that Douglas W. Woods, PhD has been appointed as Provost and Chief Academic Officer, effective July 8, 2024. Following a national search, Dr. Woods was selected from a strong candidate pool for his broad experience and proven track record of driving success in both undergraduate and graduate/professional programs. Dr. Woods will remain an active scholar in his role as a professor at Loyola.

Since 2016 he has served as Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies at Marquette University, where he is also a tenured Professor of Psychology. Before his role at Marquette, Dr. Woods served as Head of Psychology at Texas A&M University from 2013 to 2015 and in multiple faculty and leadership roles at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1999 to 2013.

“I am excited to join Loyola at a time of great possibility and promise. With its firm grounding in mission, commitment to diversity and belonging, broad academic offerings and interdisciplinary programs, community-engaged focus, and strong reputation in Chicago and beyond, Loyola is a leading institution of higher education,” said Dr. Woods. “I look forward to working with President Reed, deans, faculty, and staff to lead Loyola’s academic enterprise to even higher levels of excellence and distinction.”

Consistent with Loyola’s Jesuit, Catholic mission, Dr. Woods is a strong advocate for an integrated educational experience that provides students with a foundational liberal arts and sciences core curriculum, complemented by knowledge and skills developed across a range of disciplines and schools to prepare students for successful careers and lives. He has deep experience with developing the undergraduate curriculum, enhancing student success, and supporting graduate and professional students. He has successfully recruited and retained faculty members and staff from diverse backgrounds and developed multiple strategies to create a more inclusive and diverse environment.

With his service in multiple roles across distinct types of institutions, Dr. Woods possesses a unique breadth and depth of understanding in various university functions. Under his leadership at Marquette the past eight years, enrollment in the Graduate School hit all-time highs—increasing 39 percent. While Graduate program revenue has grown dramatically, the number of graduate students from diverse backgrounds has been enhanced by 200 percent, and graduate education has gained greater visibility on campus.

“Dr. Woods is an experienced academic leader with both a compelling vision for the future and executive acumen to achieve it,” said Loyola President Mark C. Reed, EdD. “I’m looking forward to working with him in guiding our University as it continues and advances its stature and trajectory as a leading, international, Jesuit research university.”

Dr. Woods is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in tic disorders, such as Tourette Syndrome and trichotillomania. His research has received major funding from the National Institutes of Health and other agencies and has been published in leading national journals. He earned a PhD in Psychology from Western Michigan University, a MS in Clinical Psychology from North Dakota State University, and a BA in Psychology from Ohio University.

“Dr. Woods has been an extraordinary strategic, mission-oriented leader for Marquette University,” Marquette Provost Kimo Ah Yun said. “He led the Graduate School with vision and principle, and he was an invaluable partner on the university’s recent strategic planning efforts, serving as the academic affairs lead on the Strategic Plan Core Team. Loyola University Chicago has found in Dr. Woods a servant leader who will guide its academic enterprise with purpose and a commitment to the Catholic, Jesuit mission and values our institutions share.”

In the coming months, the University will celebrate and thank Provost Margaret Callahan for her many important contributions to Loyola and will provide more information about introductory events and opportunities to welcome Dr. Woods to the Loyola community.

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About Loyola University Chicago 
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, with nearly 16,600 students. The University has four campuses: three in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, as well as course locations in Vernon Hills, Illinois (Cuneo Mansion and Gardens), and a Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois. The University features 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. Ranked a leading national university by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is also among a select group of universities recognized for community service and engagement by prestigious national organizations including AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation. To learn more about Loyola, visit LUC.edu or follow us on Twitter via @LoyolaChicago.