Dean and Associate Provost, The University of Oklahoma
Dr. Martha Banz is interim dean of OU Extended Campus. During her career, she has acted as founding director for several specialized academic programs, serving both traditional and nontraditional student populations at multiple universities. Prior to becoming associate dean, she served in director, dean, and vice provost roles at Southern Nazarene University.
As interim dean, Dr. Banz provides administrative oversight for all aspects of the college’s work, both academic and operational. Since arriving at OU in 2010, she led the process for revising and implementing an updated strategic plan and has led the college in completing a comprehensive academic program review. During this time, student enrollment in the college increased by almost 25 percent, several new academic programs have been approved, full-time faculty appointments in the college have grown, and the total faculty corps expanded to include more than 200 OU faculty and practice professionals from around the world. Under her guidance, collaborative partnerships have continued to expand, innovative approaches to student support services have been deployed, and additional curricular programming is under development.
Dr. Banz holds membership in Psi Chi, Sigma Xi, Phi Delta Lambda, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. Honors include selection as a 1998 member of the Executive Leadership Development Institute, 2003 recipient of the Southern Nazarene University Alumni Award, and invited participant for the 2011 Summit for Online Learning jointly sponsored by Sloan-C, ACHE, and UPCEA. In addition to her responsibilities with OU Extended Campus, she serves as president of the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP).
Research interests include the study of automaticity, especially as applied to learning, leadership, and decision-making; the impact of technology on teaching and learning in adult learners; and the effective use of data in decision-making processes.
