Chris Sapienza, PhD was appointed Jacksonville University (JU) Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs on May 1, 2018. In May 2014, Sapienza led the formation and strategic growth of the first new college at the university in more than thirty years, the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences. Under her leadership the largest nursing simulation laboratories in the State of Florida was established as well as numerous partnerships throughout the healthcare industry. The College now stands as one of the largest and fastest growing at the university. Prior to JU, Sapienza served for eight years as chair of the University of Florida’s highly ranked department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.