Accomplished SPH Administrator to Lead Graduate School

The University of Maryland has tapped a School of Public Health associate dean, program director and professor to become associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

Stephen Roth will begin his new position on July 1, providing strong and visionary leadership for the school and supporting an environment of diversity and inclusive excellence in graduate education. He will focus on promoting a culture of impactful research, scholarship and creative activities; encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships; and fostering mission-driven engagement among graduate students and Graduate School faculty and staff.

“Dr. Roth’s demonstrated commitment to innovation in education, inclusive excellence and post-graduate career success aligns with the Graduate School’s mission to advance graduate education and enhance the graduate student experience,” said Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice. “I am confident that Dr. Roth's profound understanding of the university, acquired through two decades of dedicated service, will be instrumental in fostering the future success of our graduate students, programs and alumni.”

Roth currently serves as the School of Public Health’s (SPH) principal associate dean, associate dean for academic and faculty affairs, and director of the public health science program. Roth has contributed significantly to the school’s graduate programs; under his leadership, the school has seen a 64% increase in graduate enrollment over the past seven years. He restructured and broadened the SPH Graduate Student Advisory Council to involve more voices, including part-time, online and early-stage graduate students. During his tenure, he developed and launched new degree and dual-degree programs, including a dual master’s program with the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and a B.S.-M.P.H. accelerated program in SPH that has allowed more than 100 students to reduce the time and cost of completing their M.P.H. degree.

Roth has also focused on fostering academic excellence within the school, including securing funding to develop inclusive student engagement programs that provide co-curricular professional development opportunities. He also launched faculty development programs for teaching and promotion to support tenure-track and professional-track faculty beyond individual mentoring relationships, and Roth led the revision and approval of SPH’s professional-track faculty evaluation and promotion policy.

"I have dedicated the majority of my career to supporting and advancing academic excellence at the University of Maryland,” said Roth. “Drawing upon my experience within the School of Public Health, I am excited to extend my work to the wider university community—empowering and supporting our graduate students to thrive during their time at the university and cultivating an inclusive community of lifelong learners."

Roth is also a professor of kinesiology and affiliate faculty for the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science graduate program, and his scholarly research focuses on human genetic variation and its implications for health and exercise-related traits. His previous leadership roles with SPH included interim director of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, associate dean for educational innovation, and associate chair and graduate director of the Department of Kinesiology. Roth also served as director of outreach and instructional innovation for the university’s Teaching and Learning Transformation Center.

Roth is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and National Academy of Kinesiology, and member of the American Public Health Association. He also serves as an editorial board member for Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Roth earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in kinesiology from the University of Maryland, and B.S. in health and human performance from the University of Montana.