Ursula Payne

Slippery Rock University announced Wednesday that professor Ursula Payne will serve as interim associate provost as of July 18.

Payne, a professor of dance, will be responsible for academic planning and overseeing assessment, accreditation and grants activities. She will serve under Michael Zieg, who was named interim provost in May.

Payne has been a dance professor since 1996 and has served as chairwoman of the department since 2011.

"Having an artist's background will bring another perspective in terms of creative ways of thinking and looking at data and policies," Payne said. "Also, my role as the diversity liaison officer gave me the opportunity to think more broadly about the impact of (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) and how SRU fits into the larger network of the state system, and that experience has prepared me for this role in the provost's office."