President Devorah Lieberman

President Devorah Lieberman: Reaching For New Heights
D
r. Devorah A. Lieberman, a nationally accomplished and innovative senior
academic administrator and award-winning educator, became the 18th
President of the University of La Verne when she officially took office on July
1, 2011.
With a well-earned reputation as an engaged and forward-thinking leader with an
exemplary career in higher education, Lieberman is enthusiastic about connecting
with the entire university and surrounding communities in a combined effort to
foster an environment where all students, faculty and staff can achieve their greatest
potential. The first woman to hold the office of president in the institution’s 120-year
history, she shares the values and mission of La Verne and believes the foundation
they provide reflect the very best of a private liberal education for both graduate and
undergraduate students.
Her peers have recognized Lieberman for promoting national initiatives including
institutional transformation, balancing graduate and liberal education, student and
faculty development, community engagement, internationalization and diversity. She
has published broadly in higher education books, journals and periodicals and has
made presentations at a variety of venues throughout the country and internationally.
Lieberman’s national involvement in higher education includes, but is not limited to,
chair of the American Council on Education (ACE) International Collaborative, ACE
Institute Facilitator, Institutional Representative chair for the New American Colleges
& Universities, and as advisory board member for the National Review Board for Civic Engagement.
Before coming to La Verne, Lieberman served nearly eight years as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Wagner
College (N.Y.). Under her direction, Wagner’s ethnic diversity of entering students rose by eight percent; the student retention rate
between the freshman and sophomore years increased to nearly 90 percent; financial support for faculty research and scholarship
jumped to over 600 percent, participation in the college’s study abroad program tripled to include 25% of the student body; and
community engagement became institutionalized throughout the curriculum.
Prior to her time at Wagner, Lieberman spent more than 16 years at Portland State University in Oregon as both a faculty member
in the Department of Communication Studies and an administrator. During her final four years she was vice provost and special
assistant to the university president. In 2000, she was honored as Oregon Professor of the Year, awarded by the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She also received the 1999 Distinguished Faculty Award from the Portland State
Alumni Association.
Raised in Covina, Calif., Lieberman earned an associate’s degree from Mt. San Antonio College in 1973, a bachelor’s degree in
Communication Studies from Humboldt State University (’75), a master’s degree in Intercultural Communication
from San Diego State University (’77) and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Communication and Gerontology from the
University of Florida (’84).
Founders Hall
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