Stonehill College Appoints its Third Provost

Easton, MA (Dec. 9, 2020)—Stonehill College has announced the appointment of DeBrenna LaFa Agbényiga, Ph.D., MBA, MSW, as its new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs effective December 1, 2020. In this position, she will oversee all college operations directly pertaining to academic programming, faculty, and academic administration.

A scholar in the fields of social science and business administration, she has an extensive record of leadership, achievement, and service as a professor and administrator. Most recently, she worked as a higher education consultant at Agbényiga Global Education. Prior to her consulting engagement, she served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bowie State University in Maryland, where she was also a full professor in the Department of Social Work.

“Bringing a wealth of administrative and teaching experience, Dr. Agbényiga is known for her innovative, student-centered, and inclusive leadership style. I look forward to working closely with her to achieve our institutional goals, while ensuring our students flourish academically,” said Stonehill President Rev. John Denning, C.S.C.

“I was drawn to Stonehill’s liberal arts academic environment and its focus on developing free thinking, open communication, and collaboration across diverse communities, disciplines, and organizational structures. There is a strong foundation at the College, and I look forward to building on the energy, commitment, and enriching discourse that so successfully develops our students into graduates with strong minds and even stronger hearts,” said Dr. Agbényiga.

Dr. Agbényiga also served as Vice Provost and Dean of The Graduate School at the University of Texas at San Antonio, an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), while maintaining tenure as a full professor in their Department of Social Work. At Michigan State University, Dr. Agbényiga held the role of Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Inclusion in the College of Social Science, as well as Associate Professor with tenure in the School of Social Work.

Dr. Agbényiga holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Social Work, as well as a master’s degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina at Columbia.