Margaret Winters has been appointed Wayne State University’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, effective September 23, 2013. Winters had served in the position on an interim basis since April 2013, and has agreed to serve as provost through July 2015.  

Winters previously served Wayne State as associate provost and associate vice president for academic personnel.

“After working with Margaret for the last two months, I am confident she has the demeanor, experience and commitment to students necessary for this vital leadership role,” President M. Roy Wilson said. “I look forward to working closely with her as we address the university’s current challenges and opportunities and develop a roadmap for the future.” 

During Winter’s 11 years at Wayne State she has held various leadership positions, including chair of the then-department of Romance Languages and Literatures and founding chair of the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literature, and Cultures. She also played a lead role in negotiation of Wayne State’s recent eight-year faculty union contract.

Prior to joining Wayne State, Winters spent 25 years at Southern Illinois University Carbondale teaching French and linguistics and serving in the university’s academic administration. She served as SIU’s associate provost for several years and as interim provost from 2000 to 2002.

A native of New York City, she attended Brooklyn College and did her graduate work at the University of California Riverside (M.A.) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.).

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students.