Every week since late May, a new face on campus has become more recognizable to the Oakland University community — Amy Thompson. As the new Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Thompson has been getting to know OU with plans to improve classes, graduation rates and equity gaps.
A Coldwater native, Thompson grew up along Michigan’s border with Indiana as a first-generation college student. With a Ph.D. in public health from the University of Toledo, she made her way back to Michigan after 20 years of experience in higher education.
“I actually did some work in gun violence prevention and public policy work, and then went and got my first teaching job at Mississippi State,” Thompson said. “I realized I really love the Midwest, and so I wanted to come back closer to home, and I spent three years at Kent State University in the Cleveland area, and then had an opportunity to go back to my alma mater.”
Thompson went from faculty member to Graduate Dean at Toledo in 14 years, helping cancer survivors, serving as faculty senate president and chairing the COVID-19 response for 14 public institutions in Ohio.
“When the opportunity here at Oakland University came open, I’d heard a lot about this institution, how fantastic and world-class the faculty are and how amazing the students are,” Thompson said. “I had an opportunity to come back home to my home state and work with President Pescovitz, and it was honestly my dream job to come here.”
The search for a new Provost began after the former Provost, Britt Rios-Ellis, was named President of California State University in July 2024.
“Oakland University was seeking a visionary, collaborative, and strategic academic leader, someone who could advance student success, champion shared governance, foster academic innovation, and strengthen Oakland’s identity as a Steward of Place,” Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Glenn McIntosh said. “Thompson emerged as the clear choice due to her proven leadership in academic affairs, her national expertise in public health, and her strong commitment to inclusive excellence.”
Acknowledging hardships with school as a college student, Thompson explained that peer teaching was a turning point in her career. Since her days at Central Michigan University, Thompson has set out to help faculty and students achieve success.
At OU, she has been working on a new midterm grading policy, a three-year strategic plan and other initiatives while meeting every week with different campus offices and groups.
“Provost Thompson is leading several high-priority initiatives, including the implementation of Strategic Plan 2030 across Academic Affairs, the revitalization of general education, strengthening faculty recruitment and retention, and expanding student access to experiential learning,” McIntosh said. “She is also deeply engaged in strategies to close equity gaps in student outcomes and enhance Oakland’s research enterprise.”
The Three E’s for excellence — engagement, efficiency and effectiveness — is Thompson’s framework to advance student success at OU. The advising models, retention rates and student input were some of the areas under review to be enhanced as students come back to campus.
“What gives me joy in my role is to get out there and be with our students, to see them be successful, and to hear ways that I can support our students,” Thompson said. “Know that how I make decisions, how I do things, are always through the lens of students first.”
With weekly updates on her LinkedIn, the new Provost expressed excitement for the Fall, the perfect time to put to practice her expertise on student success and a passion for highlighting local talent and opportunities.
“I love to hear from students, so if there are things that we can do better at OU, I’d love to hear from students — invite me to things that highlight all the wonderful students that are on our campus,” Thompson said. “There were so many great reasons to come here that from the minute I stepped on campus, it felt like home to me, and it was absolutely right. It was like the perfect job for me.”
