In conversation with Dr. Susan Carlson, University of California, Davis

Dr. Susan Carlson is Professor Emerita, University of California, Davis and Vice Provost Emerita, UC Office of the President, where she served in the role of Vice Provost from 2010 to 2022. Prior to joining UC, Dr. Carlson was Associate Provost for Faculty Advancement and Diversity for almost 10 years at Iowa State University. 

“You’re changing culture in this work, and you’re often redefining academic priorities. There’s a lot of sensitivity when you raise issues of maybe everything’s not right.” 

With more than 20 years in leadership positions, Dr. Carlson shares how she was able to advance efforts to build diverse faculty at universities. She focuses on the importance of both policy and funding to ensure sustainable change, as well as how building a network has been valuable in contributing to her achievements. 

Dr. Pat Farrell, former provost at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Lehigh University, hosts this five-part series on leading through change in higher education. 

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