Dr. Cynthia Brandenburg will assume the role of interim provost at Champlain College beginning December 2026, succeeding Dr. Monique Taylor.
In this role, Dr. Brandenburg will lead the Office of Academic Affairs, manage campus academic programs, and support the senior leadership team and serve as a member of it. She succeeds Dr. Monique Taylor, who has accepted a new position as Vice President for Programs at the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). CIC is an association based in Washington, D.C. that works to support independent higher education leaders and advance institutional excellence, beginning in January 2027.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Cynthia Brandenburg is expanding her leadership at Champlain College as interim provost,” remarked Champlain President Alex Hernandez. “Dr. Brandenburg has been a close partner to Provost Taylor and the Academic Affairs team as they led the launch of our new academic model and our continued efforts to prepare students for a changing world.”
Dr. Brandenburg has been a member of the Champlain College faculty for over 20 years, serving as Professor of General Education, Lead Faculty for the Degree Design Lab, and most recently, Assistant Provost in the Office of Academic Affairs.
As a Lyman Award-winning professor, her courses emphasize interdisciplinary, integrated, and inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning. From her current role as Assistant Provost, she brings experience and strategic thinking that will inform institutional work, especially around faculty governance, accreditation, and integrated curriculum design and innovation. Most recently, she co-authored the College’s ten-year accreditation self-study report.
Dr. Brandenburg was instrumental in co-leading the development of Champlain’s innovative academic model, which provides all students starting in Fall 2026 a full year’s worth of flexible credits for curated, career-focused experiences.
She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and film studies from Dartmouth College and earned a doctorate degree in anatomy and neurobiology from the University of Vermont.
Dr. Brandenburg and Jessica Turner ’23, Degree Design Lab graduate.
Provost Taylor leaves a strong legacy of innovation, namely our newly designed curriculum model that allows students to follow their passions as they evolve alongside their major and general education requirements. As part of this redesign, she created a new academic leadership structure that promotes faculty collaboration across disciplines.
Dr. Taylor also launched the “Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn” series, strengthening community dialogue during challenging times, which was recognized for two awards by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. She also led numerous high-impact, grant-supported initiatives, including Champlain College’s first National Science Foundation grant to support workforce partnerships.
“Dr. Taylor’s appointment is a testament to both her extraordinary talents and the innovative work she spearheaded at Champlain College,” said President Hernandez. “It’s no surprise that an organization dedicated to advancing independent higher education would look to someone who played such a central role in driving that work.”
“I am concluding my time at Champlain College with gratitude and admiration for its unending commitment to innovatively preparing students,” says Provost Taylor. “I am eager to share what we have built for experiential and career-focused learning here at Champlain with colleges and universities nationally. I extend my thanks to the entire faculty, staff, and student body at Champlain College. Their curiosity, ambition and creativity have energized me for this next chapter. I wish the College continued success and look forward to supporting it in this new capacity at CIC.”
Champlain College will launch a search for the next Provost in the second half of 2027 with participation from our community.
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