Krista Rodin tapped to lead Yuma branch campus

Rodin headshot

Northern Arizona University President John Haeger has named Krista Rodin as associate vice president and campus executive officer at NAU-Yuma.

Rodin, who serves as vice provost for University Outreach at the University of Connecticut, assumes her new position the first of January.

“As a former professor, dean and university administrator, Krista brings a broad base of experience to her new role,” Haeger said. “Rounding out her professional career is an impressive background in music and stage production and in international education.

“What struck me about Krista were her demonstrated skills in collaborative leadership and in building community, both on campus and in her local communities,” Haeger said.

The president noted that the change of the position title from executive director to associate vice president and campus executive officer reflects a renewed commitment by NAU and the Yuma community to grow the campus at Arizona Western College and respond to community needs.

Earlier this month, the Arizona Board of Regents designated NAU-Yuma as a branch campus.

“NAU-Yuma is a significantly different campus,” Haeger said, “and we must develop programs that serve the students there.”

Contacted by e-mail about her new appointment, Rodin said, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with members of the NAU and Yuma communities to build a true branch campus in Yuma.”

“The possibility of developing an interdisciplinary engaged campus that serves students and the community through experiential learning is very exciting. There are lots of ways we can focus the applied research expertise of the faculty in areas of local need.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about the community and to exploring how we can work together to build an exemplary branch campus. I am especially looking forward to strengthening the excellent relationship with AWC and to seeing how we can encourage more AWC graduates to enroll in NAU-Yuma,” Rodin said.

Rodin has served as vice provost for University Outreach at UConn since 2005. She previously served as dean of the College of Continuing Studies, professor of music and dean of the Division of Extended and Continuing Education.

Prior to joining UConn in 1999, Rodin was dean of Continuing and Professional Studies at St. Joseph’s College in Maine. Rodin has several years of experience at the University of Utah in the Division of Continuing Education and in teaching music. She also taught at Weber State College in Ogden. She has a diverse background in teaching and in operatic direction and production in Germany and Austria.

Rodin earned a bachelor of arts in English and German from Wayne State University in Michigan and a doctorate in Anglistik/Amerikanistik from the University of Salzburg in Austria.