Columbia College administrator hired as provost, vice president for academic affairs at QU

QUINCY — Sarah Vordtriede-Patton has been hired as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Quincy University. She will assume the role on July 1, 2023. Teresa Reed, the current vice president for academic affairs, is retiring at the end of this academic year.

Vordtriede-Patton has 30 years of experience in higher education, ranging from her early years as an instructor to serving in her current role as the founding dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo.

“Quincy University is a transformative institution housed within a vibrant community,” Vordtriede-Patton said in a press release. “I am humbled and overjoyed that 30 years in higher education have prepared me to participate in charting QU’s future as part of President McGee’s leadership team.”

Vordtriede-Patton’s work within the last decade includes management and professional development of faculty and staff, assessment and coordination of academic departments, strategic planning, budget management, accreditation and assessment reviews, and oversight of recruiting, marketing and advising.

“Sarah Vordtriede-Patton is an exceptional academic leader and a superb teacher and scholar,” said Brian McGee, president of Quincy University. “A lifelong Midwesterner, accomplished scientist and former Army reservist, she will be a wonderful member of the QU community.”

Vordtriede-Patton is a Value Institute certified scorer for the Association of American Colleges & Universities and a peer reviewer for the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission, one of the largest accreditors of colleges and universities in the United States. Before taking her job at Columbia College, Vordtriede-Patton was the interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at St. Ambrose University, where she worked for 15 years.

“Dr. Vordtriede-Patton’s experience in Catholic and Christian higher education is an ideal match for our Catholic and Franciscan values at Quincy University,” McGee said.

Vordtriede-Patton earned a doctorate in biology from St. Louis University. She also has an education specialist degree in higher education administration from the University of Missouri Kansas City.

Vordtriede-Patton served in the U.S. Army Reserve for eight years as a medical entomologist, including three years at the rank of captain.

“I look forward to partnering with the dedicated and accomplished QU faculty in guiding students in discovering and living out their full potential in service to their communities and society at large,” Vordtriede-Patton said.

Vordtriede-Patton will be the first administrator at Quincy University to use the title of provost, a title often used for the chief academic officer at universities in the United States. The provost’s title has been used for many centuries in higher education and in church administration, including in the Roman Catholic Church.

Vordtriede-Patton earned her bachelor’s degree at McKendree University.