Dr. Elizabeth A. Wentz
Currently the vice provost and dean of the Graduate College at Arizona State University (ASU), Wentz will begin her new role on July 1, 2026.
Wentz’s appointment comes less than one month after the university introduced Forward with Purpose, which has been organized around three priorities: Student Success, Research in Action and Place-based Impact. The plan has been designed to serve as the university’s compass through 2034, and as provost, Wentz will play an important role in its implementation.
In her current role as vice provost and dean at ASU’s Graduate College, Wentz oversees graduate education including academic planning, graduate faculty development, graduate student funding and student success.
Prior to leading the Graduate College, Wentz served as Dean of Social Sciences at ASU from 2015 to 2020. A division within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wentz’s portfolio included nine academic schools, 14 research centers, 300 faculty, and 9,000 graduate and undergraduate students.
Wentz is currently a professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in geography from The Ohio State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Pennsylvania State University.
