DETROIT – Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D., has announced the appointment of Laurie Lauzon Clabo, Ph.D., as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for a fixed, three-year term, effective March 4. The appointment was approved electronically by the Wayne State Board of Governors and affirmed at its March 6 meeting.

“Laurie’s years of dedication and history of accomplishments both in the College of Nursing and across the Wayne State community have positioned her as the right person to help guide our university during this crucial time,” said President Espy. “I have enjoyed working alongside her, and I look forward to continuing to partner with her to take Wayne State into its next era.”

Clabo, dean of the College of Nursing since 2015, previously served as interim provost from August 2020 to July 2021, during which time she led Wayne State’s successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also served as interim provost since November 2023.  

President Espy said she made the decision after receiving numerous recommendations, thinking carefully about the needs of the campus, and consulting with the Board of Governors and other university stakeholders.  

“With her deep campus knowledge and broad leadership experience, this appointment enables critical continuity in our academic operations and campus approach, strengthens the university leadership team — including several new hires — and will bridge to the commencement of a national search in fall 2026,” said President Espy.  

As provost, Clabo will serve as Wayne State’s chief academic officer, the university’s second-ranking executive officer. She will lead the academic enterprise of the university and oversee the division of Academic Affairs, including the academic schools and colleges, academic personnel, enrollment management, student success, student affairs, housing and residential life, C&IT, international programs, WDET, and University Press. She will serve as President Espy’s primary partner in advancing the university’s position toward the goals described in its strategic plan, “Our Moment in Time.”

“I am honored by this broader opportunity to serve Wayne State, and I appreciate the confidence President Espy and the Board of Governors have expressed in me,” said Clabo. “Wayne State is truly a mission-driven university that has tremendous impact not only on the lives of our students, but our entire community, serving as an engine of social mobility. I look forward to working with all members of the campus community to grow and enhance that impact.”

During her time as dean, the College of Nursing grew in national prominence. Her accomplishments include significant growth in philanthropy, the reversal of a decline and now solid growth in research funding and graduate enrollment, and an extraordinary rise in national rankings that now place the college’s graduate programs among the top 50 in the country and the undergraduate program in the top 5% nationally. Under her leadership, the College of Nursing increased the proportion of students of underrepresented groups from 28% to 48% of the student body. Clabo also led the opening of the new Campus Health Center, considered state-of-the-art in its field, and the Taylor Street Primary Care Clinic, a patient-centered, nurse-managed primary care practice serving the residents of Detroit’s Virginia Park community.

As interim provost during the COVID-19 pandemic, Clabo also spearheaded the integration of student-facing health services on campus under a single umbrella, including the adoption of a single point of contact for mental health services, the expansion of clinical services provided by Counseling and Psychological Services — including 24/7 after hours services provided for all of our students — and the establishment of the Office for Sexual Violence Prevention and Education.

Clabo is a nationally respected leader. An alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows program and the Wharton Executive Leadership program, she has served in a variety of leadership roles in professional organizations, including two terms as president of the Michigan Association of Colleges of Nursing. She is also a fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Nursing.