Dear colleagues,  

I am delighted to announce that Deborah Keyek-Franssen has accepted an offer to become the University of Oregon’s Associate Vice Provost for UO Online and Continuing and Professional Education. Earlier this month we welcomed our colleagues from Continuing and Professional Education into the Office of the Provost, now both UO Online and CPE will come together under Deb’s leadership.  

Deb brings more than two decades of experience in online education, digital innovation, and lifelong learning, and has a proven track record of expanding access, driving enrollment, and aligning educational initiatives with institutional mission and values.  

Deb comes to Oregon from the University of Utah, where she has served as associate vice president and dean of University Connected Learning since 2020. In that role, she has been responsible for strategic planning and implementation of online undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates, as well as online, hybrid, and in-person professional microcredentials, and continuing education.  

She led efforts to grow educational pathways for today’s learners — directly supporting goals of access, degree completion, and academic innovation. Under her leadership, online program revenue surpassed $10 million annually, and the number of online master’s programs tripled in just two years. 

With a strong academic background and a foundation in teaching and research, Deb is known for fostering collaboration with faculty, supporting curricular innovation, and championing student success initiatives. Her leadership style is characterized by openness, strategic thinking, and a deep commitment to expanding access to higher education for all. 

Prior to her position at the University of Utah, Deb worked at the University of Colorado as associate vice president for digital education and engagement and in academic technology.  

Deb earned her bachelor’s degree in German from Dartmouth College and was awarded two master’s degrees — one in in Germanic Languages and Literatures, the other in Higher and Postsecondary Education — from the University of Michigan, where she also completed a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Literatures and received a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies.  

I want to thank Robert Voelker-Morris, who has been serving as interim director for UO Online since Carol Gering retired as Associate Vice Provost of UO Online in 2024, and Sandra Gladney, executive director Continuing and Professional Education, for their ongoing leadership. I also want to thank members of the search committee, led by co-chairs Bruce Blonigen and Laura Lee McIntyre, for their service.  

Please join me in welcoming Deb to the University of Oregon. She will begin her duties October 1.  

Sincerely, Kate Morris 
Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs