Framingham State names Nancy Niemi as eighth president

Photo | Courtesy of Framingham State University Nancy Niemi, who will be Framingham State University's eighth president

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By Katherine Hamilton

Framingham State University on Thursday named Nancy Niemi as its eighth president, replacing outgoing President Javier Cevallos, who announced his retirement last March, according to a press release from the school.

She will begin her tenure on July 1, 2022.

Niemi is currently provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md. Prior to that role, she was the inaugural director of faculty teaching initiatives at Yale University’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning.

She also has experience as professor and chair of the education department at the University of New Haven, Conn., and was an elected school board member and middle school English teacher.

Niemi has published works about gender, equity, and education.

“The values at Framingham State align with my own: we share a commitment to public, fiercely student-centered education with a strong emphasis on liberal arts. There is so much at Framingham State that is already extraordinary and I look forward to working with the University to become an even greater version of itself,” Niemi said in a statement.

Niemi was appointed through a unanimous vote by the Framingham State University Board of Trustees on Dec. 15, according to the announcement.

Earlier in December, Framingham State announced Niemi was one of three finalists for the role. Also in the running was Allia Carter, the current executive vice president and chief operating officer at Virginia Union University in Richmond, and Roxanne Gonzales Walker, the provost and vice president of academic affairs at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M.

Her appointment is pending approval from the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education in January, per the release. President Cevallos has said he plans to finish the academic year.