Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Provost Deborah Thien is a dedicated and experienced academic leader known for her compassionate approach and unwavering commitment to the success of faculty, staff, and students. Over the past two decades with the California State University system, Dr. Thien has held a range of key administrative roles, including dean, associate dean, director of a university honors program, and department chair. She has also served with pride as assistant, associate, and full professor of geography.

Throughout her career, Dr. Thien has led, championed, and invested in numerous initiatives that advance scholarly excellence, educational innovation, and equity. She has consistently prioritized professional development and institutional growth, creating inclusive opportunities that empower academic communities.

A proud first-generation college graduate, Dr. Thien brings an interdisciplinary perspective that bridges the social sciences and humanities. Her teaching and research center on geographies of emotion, health, and well-being; rural, remote, and northern communities; and qualitative and ethnographic research methods. Her scholarly contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including a Commonwealth Scholarship for her doctoral studies, a postdoctoral fellowship from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and a research grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Dr. Thien earned her BA in English and Women’s Studies from the University of Victoria, Canada; her MA in Gender Studies from the University of Northern British Columbia, which included a year as an International Exchange Scholar at Massey University, New Zealand; and her Ph.D. in Human Geography from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.