When Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert decided to come to Pacific, her reason was simple—its deep commitment to students.

“It’s a very student-centered university at all levels. And the way faculty and students work together, it's something I've done my whole professional career,” Edwalds-Gilbert said. “I’ve told the deans I want to be invited to research days, poster sessions, whatever it is, because I’d like to get to know the students and their perspectives.”

As a molecular biologist, Edwalds-Gilbert has extensively trained undergraduates in her research lab and worked with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

She joined Pacific in July from Scripps College, one of the five Claremont Colleges in southern California, where she was associate dean of the faculty. She also spent 15 months as acting vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty, the college’s top academic post.

As Pacific’s provost, Edwalds-Gilbert is the university’s chief academic officer. That includes everything from finding opportunities for cross-unit collaborations and improving student recruitment to tracking emerging trends in higher education.

Watch the video above to learn more about Edwalds-Gilbert and her role at Pacific.

Gretchen’s Favorites:

Book: “The Books of Jacob” by Olga Tokarczuk

TV show: “Masterpiece” on PBS

Movie: Greta Gerwig’s version of “Little Women” 

Food: Salad – almost any vegetable variety

Hobby: Cooking and baking

Surprising fact: I have an identical twin.