Adrienne Freng has been selected as the next vice provost for faculty affairs at the University of Wyoming, effective June 22, according to a May 28 announcement. Freng will succeed Dave Bagley, who will transition to serve as special assistant to the vice provost.
Interim Provost Anne Alexander said, “Dr. Freng brings an extraordinary depth of experience in faculty leadership, shared governance, academic administration, policy development and faculty support to this role. A nationally respected scholar in criminal justice and criminology, Dr. Freng also is widely known across campus for her thoughtful leadership, collaborative approach, institutional knowledge and deep commitment to supporting faculty success. Throughout the search process, she demonstrated a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing faculty and higher education today, along with a clear commitment to advancing a healthy, supportive and forward-looking academic environment at UW.”
Freng is currently associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and has been a University of Wyoming faculty member for 25 years. Her roles at UW have included interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology; interim chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance; chair of the Faculty Senate; Presidential Faculty Fellow; and faculty conciliator.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from Black Hills State University in 1995. She completed both her master’s degree (1997) and Ph.D. (2001) in sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before joining UW as an assistant professor in criminal justice in 2001.
Freng eventually rose through the academic ranks to become professor during her tenure at UW.
