Ralph O. Mueller, executive vice president for strategic initiatives at D’Youville University in Buffalo, N.Y., has been named Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at The University of Baltimore. Mueller, who brings decades of administrative, teaching, and research experience to the University, will start in his new position on July 1.
The provost at UBalt provides leadership for both the academic and student affairs functions of the institution. Typically, the provost oversees the University’s academic program development, regional and disciplinary accreditations, faculty recruitment and retention, and student success initiatives. The provost reports to the president, serves as the institution’s chief academic officer, and acts as a lead liaison to the University System of Maryland, of which UBalt is a member.
“Ralph Mueller joins us at UBalt with extensive experiences as both administrator and academician,” says University of Baltimore President Kurt L. Schmoke. “This position requires a determination to keep the institution moving forward and to meet the needs of our students and faculty, especially during these challenging times for higher education. Ralph is focused on delivering in a big way, and I know our campus will welcome him as both a colleague and a champion for the University and the city.”
“From the very beginning of the search process, I felt a kinship with the mission and the people of The University of Baltimore. I am eager to join President Schmoke, his leadership team, and other stakeholders and begin collaborating on addressing the challenges and opportunities ahead,” states Mueller.
Christine Spencer, dean of UBalt’s Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, chaired the University’s search committee for the provost position, with assistance from the firm Witt Kieffer.
Before joining D’Youville University in 2021, Mueller held senior administrative positions as vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at Purdue University Northwest, Ind., and as dean of the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Hartford, Conn. Prior to 2009, during a 16-year tenure at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Mueller had dual professorial appointments in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development and in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.
He was an American Council on Education Fellow and Special Assistant to the Provost at the University of Miami, Fla., during the 2007-08 academic year and began his career at the University of Toledo, Ohio, in 1987, serving as an assistant and associate professor of educational research.
Throughout his career, Mueller has been an ardent student and faculty advocate, championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and fostered community engagement through external university partnerships. He is a noted quantitative research methodologist with contributions to more than 40 peer-reviewed publications (including six books) and 75 academic presentations.
Mueller has been a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the World Bank, and has served on editorial boards for academic journals affiliated with the American Educational Research Association, the American Counseling Association, and the American Psychological Association.
Mueller earned a Ph.D. in educational research and evaluation from Virginia Tech in 1987, an M.A. in mathematics from Wake Forest University, N.C., in 1984, and a B.A. in mathematics from Elon University, N.C., in 1983. He is the recipient of Elon’s Distinguished Alumni Award and a former Rotary Scholar.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, The University of Baltimore School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.
