Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Krista Chronister, MS ’00, PhD ’03 (counseling psychology), received the 2024 UO Senate Award for Shared Governance, Transparency, and Trust. According to the University of Oregon Senate, this award, established in 2015, is "presented to the individual who has best exemplified the values of trust, transparency, and shared governance in the past year." For the first time in the award’s history, two recipients were selected, and Chronister shared this honor with Vice Provost for Libraries Alicia Salaz.
Chronister was nominated by Kaito Campos de Novais, a PhD student in Anthropology and graduate employee of the Division of Graduate Studies, who witnessed a cultural transformation within the Division after her arrival as vice provost in August 2021.
"Krista’s arrival at the Division marked a transformative moment, with her compassionate leadership fundamentally changing the work environment for all employees," Campos de Novais said. "She has implemented initiatives aimed at promoting transparency and fostering a trustworthy, safe place for everyone, […] cultivating an atmosphere of mutual respect, care and support among staff members."
In addition to this impact, Campos de Novais applauded Chronister’s work outside the Division, highlighting her involvement in the 2023 Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation bargaining and her actions to strengthen diversity, inclusion, and belonging both at the UO and in the larger community.
"[Her] dedication to fostering an inclusive academic environment for underrepresented graduate students has been exemplary," Campos de Novais said. "[She] has shown a strong commitment to promoting racial and ethnic diversity within the graduate student population and collaborating with colleagues to improve recruitment efforts."
A UO alumna, Chronister’s scholarship focuses on improving educational and work outcomes for survivors of partner violence. Since joining the university as faculty in 2003, she has maintained a commitment to underserved and underrepresented communities and students, serving in a variety of roles focused on equity, trust, and shared governance, including as associate dean for academic affairs and equity, assistant dean for equity and inclusion, and interim director at the Center on Diversity and Community. In 2012, Chronister was awarded the then-UO Graduate School’s Director of Graduate Studies Excellence Award, and in 2019 she received the Equity and Inclusion Award for the College of Education.
—Ashly Lilly, MNM ’23, is the communications coordinator for the Division of Graduate Studies.