Nader Nadershahi, dean of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, will focus on the creation of new programs for University of the Pacific in San Francisco as the newly appointed vice provost for the San Francisco Campus.

His responsibilities will include working with deans and faculty from other Pacific schools and colleges to leverage the university’s San Francisco location to create hybrid executive graduate and certificate programs.

Nadershahi, who will continue in the position of dental school dean, also will have an enhanced community outreach role in the newly created vice provost position.

“We are the first university in California,” Nadershahi said. “We have the ability to draw on our history and foundation to grow the university’s footprint from San Francisco.”

Pacific President Christopher Callahan said the university is fortunate to have Nadershahi’s leadership.

“Dean Nadershahi is a superb leader. This new role will allow Pacific to benefit even more from his many talents and skills,” Callahan said. 

The president also said that the downtown San Francisco location is an underutilized asset. 

“We have this fantastic, modern learning center in the heart of one of the greatest cities in the world,” he said. “The building is fully utilized during the week, but not on weekends. So how can we leverage our base in this world-class city to expand Pacific’s footprint through market-driven executive weekend programs?”

In addition to dentistry programs and continuing education, the San Francisco Campus has other academic programs such as doctor of audiology, master of science in data sciences and master of arts in music therapy.

“Starting with these hybrid programs is a step, but we will eventually look for more opportunities for our students,” Nadershahi said. “Many universities take their students to international cities for experiential learning. San Francisco is one of those cities, and we can take advantage of its many cultural and learning opportunities.”