Trident University is happy to welcome Dr. Mihaela Tanasescu as our new Provost, Chief Academic Officer, and Accreditation Liaison Officer for WASC Senior College and University Commission.
Dr. Tanasescu comes to us from Ashford University where she most recently served as Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chief Academic Officer, and Accreditation Liaison Officer for WSCUC.
Dr. Tanasescu is already familiar with Trident and its key tenets of academic excellence and a superior student experience as, prior to her tenure at Ashford, she served as Dean of the College of Health Sciences and the College of Education at Trident. We look forward to her further efforts to improve academic content and delivery, building on the success of our online learning management system and the Trident Fastric 8-week session structure.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Tanasescu back to the Trident family. Her significant leadership experience in the education space and familiarity with the Trident community will allow her to make a quick impact on the student experience and the University’s high academic standards,” said Travis Allen, Trident’s President & CEO.
Dr. Tanasescu has over 20 years of service in health and education, including prior work at the National Institute of Public Health in Romania. She has carried out research at Harvard University and the University of Connecticut. She holds a Doctor of Science from the Harvard School of Public Health, a Master of Science from the University of Connecticut, and a Medical Degree from the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania.
Dr. Heidi Gilligan has been appointed as Dean of the College of Education. Dr. Gilligan joined Trident in November of 2014, previously serving as Program Director of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and Master of Arts in Education (MAED) programs. In her time at Trident, she has successfully developed the curriculum for the Ed.D. program, revised the Master of Arts in Education curriculum, and launched a number of graduate student support resources.
In her new role, Dr. Gillian will focus on enhancing the student experience through improved dissertation support, including mentors and writing resources, new program concentrations, the further development of the relevant and timely curricula, and meeting the needs of online graduate students.
Dr. Gilligan earned an Ed.D. in Community College/Higher Education Leadership from CSU Long Beach and earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from San Diego State University. Her research interests include the financial literacy of college students, retention and persistence of non-traditional college students, and college access for under-represented populations.
Dr. Gilligan is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), and American College Personnel Association (ACPA).