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The Office of the Provost provides university-wide leadership for academic excellence, student success and institutional effectiveness at the University of St. Thomas. Working in partnership with the president, deans, faculty and staff, the office advances the university’s Catholic mission and strategic priorities while fostering innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement. The office brings together a broad portfolio of academic and student-focused areas, creating connections across the university to strengthen teaching and learning, scholarship, student achievement and the overall educational experience.

Dr. Eddy Rojas serves as executive vice president and provost of the University of St. Thomas, where he provides leadership for the university’s academic enterprise and a broad portfolio that includes academic affairs, student affairs, enrollment management, information technology, and other areas central to student and institutional success. Since joining St. Thomas in 2021, he has helped lead a period of significant growth, innovation and institutional transformation, with a focus on academic excellence, student success, financial sustainability and the university’s Catholic mission.

Under his leadership, St. Thomas has expanded its academic portfolio, strengthened enrollment and student retention efforts, advanced faculty excellence, and launched major initiatives at the intersection of technology, education and human formation. Rojas founded and directs the Institute for AI for the Common Good, which brings together faculty, staff, students and external partners to advance the responsible use of artificial intelligence in teaching, learning, research and university operations. He has also championed St. Thomas’ work in character formation, including efforts to more intentionally integrate the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance into the student experience.

Rojas is known for a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to leadership and for bringing together academic priorities, institutional strategy and emerging opportunities. Before joining St. Thomas, he served for seven years as dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Dayton, where he advanced student success, faculty excellence and greater representation among the faculty. Previously, he was director of the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and held faculty appointments at the University at Buffalo and the University of Washington.

A native of Costa Rica, Rojas earned his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Costa Rica and his M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. Reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary learning, he also holds an M.A. in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder and both an M.Ed. in higher education and an M.P.S. in the psychology of leadership from Penn State.