Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculty

Meet the Provost and Dean of the Faculty

Karen F. Gaines, PhD

Brigadier General Karen Gaines, PhD has served as the Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Norwich University since 2022. BG Gaines reports to the President and is the second-ranking university official. As such, she serves as the Chief Operating (Administrative) Officer for the University in the absence of the President. Dr. Gaines is also the Chief Academic Officer and provides leadership to all academic areas to reflect the mission of the institution including long-range planning, budgeting, online and campus-based curriculum, and program development. She ensures compliance with various accreditation agencies as well as state accreditation and regulation. Dr. Gaines oversees all research centers and institutes as well as the Office of Sponsored Programs, thus maintaining all active extramural funding from federal, state, and local agencies as well as private foundations.

Dr. Gaines is internationally recognized for her expertise on the fate and transport of toxicants in extreme environments for both environmental and human risk assessment, specifically as it pertains to health physics, radiobiology, radiochemistry, metals, and organics. Dr. Gaines is an appointed member of both the Health Physics Society and the International Union of Radioecology. She has active roles within the Aerospace Medical Society and the American Public Health Association. She is an active member of the Air & Space Force Association (AFA) and the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA).