Seton Hill University President Mary C. Finger, Ed.D., has announced the appointment of Susan Yochum, SC, Ph.D., as the University’s Provost. Sister Susan, a Sister of Charity, who served as Acting Provost for the past year, will assume her new role on July 1.

“Sister Susan Yochum has had a distinguished 31-year career serving Seton Hill students as a chemistry professor and as Chair of the Division of Health and Natural Sciences,” said President Finger. “Her experience both in the classroom and in administration make her well-suited to serve as Seton Hill’s chief academic officer. I look forward to continue working with Sister Susan and our dedicated faculty to advance Seton Hill’s extraordinary academic presence.”

“I am honored to be named Provost of Seton Hill University,” Sister Susan Yochum said. “I am privileged to work with our talented faculty as we continue to look at ways to advance academic programs, rooted in the liberal arts, that prepare our students for the workforce, graduate school and research opportunities.” She continued, “I want to empower students and faculty alike to be agents for transformation.”

Sister Susan Yochum, a Seton Hill chemistry alumna, joined the chemistry faculty at Seton Hill in 1985. She earned her master’s degree in chemistry from Duquesne University and her Ph.D. from Cleveland State University.

Sister Susan served as Chair of Division of Natural and Health Sciences at Seton Hill for 18 years before assuming the role of Acting Provost in July 2015.

She has earned awards for her contributions to science and education, including the Women Chemist Committee of the American Chemical Society Regional Award for Contributions to Diversity and The Council of Independent Colleges Heuer Honorable Mention Award for Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Science Education. 

Sister Susan has also administered two U.S. government research projects at Seton Hill. She served as project administrator of the Seton Hill University Personal Empowerment Program (SHUPEP) with the Integrative Cardiac Health Project at Walter Reed Medical Center and was project director of the Air Force Environmental and Occupational Factors in Women's Health. 

For fifteen years, Sister Susan served as faculty advisor to the nationally recognized Seton Hill American Chemical Society Student Affiliates Chapter.  She has been recognized as a Seton Hill Professor of the Year and has been a leader in integrating mobile technology into her classroom and laboratory. Her scholarship focus has been in the areas of chemical education and mentoring students in research in inorganic synthesis, surface studies and infrared spectroscopy.  She has published in American Chemical Society and National Science Teachers Association journals and presented at regional and national conferences. 

As Chair of the Division of Natural and Health Sciences for the past 18 years, her leadership has led to growth in both the number of academic programs offered and student enrollment in the sciences. She also managed many of the strategic decisions as the University constructed The JoAnne Woodyard Boyle Health Sciences Center, which opened in 2015. 

She is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the ACS Division of Education; Iota Sigma Pi, the National Chemistry Honor Society for Women; the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA); the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP); and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP).