David Weerts, professor of higher education in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), has recently been named associate vice provost for public engagement for the University of Minnesota system. In this role, he will play a key role in advancing public engagement as a strategy to enhance the quality and impact of teaching, research, and outreach across the University of Minnesota’s five campus system.

Weerts’ scholarship and teaching has focused on intersections among university-community engagement, state financing of higher education, and institutional advancement. He has held major gift officer positions at the University of Wisconsin Foundation and University of Minnesota Foundation and served two terms on the executive committee for the Association for Public and Land-grant Universities’ Council for Engagement and Outreach. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Seed Coalition, a multi-campus network aimed at strengthening the capacity of colleges and universities to fulfill the public purposes of higher education. He holds a PhD in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.