Dr. Debra Bourdeau, a longtime academic leader and faculty member at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide will become vice provost of online learning and educational innovation at Missouri University of Science and Technology on Tuesday, April 1.
Bourdeau will lead S&T’s development of online programs, including graduate and undergraduate degrees and certificates. Bourdeau will oversee a redesign of online programs, incorporating new technologies and methods into S&T’s offerings. She will also hold a faculty appointment as an associate teaching professor of English and technical communication.
“Dr. Bourdeau’s expertise and leadership in online education will propel our university forward,” says Dr. Colin Potts, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Missouri S&T. “She will strategically direct our growing offerings of online, distance and hybrid educational programs.”
“Bringing Dr. Bourdeau to Missouri S&T supports our efforts to expand online programs and manage them in-house again,” he says. “We believe this renewed focus will help increase our online enrollment and online program offerings.”
Bourdeau joined Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide in 2005 and was promoted to director of academics and associate professor of arts and sciences four years later. She currently serves as associate dean for student success and academics, and associate professor of English. She leads the digital credentialing effort for all three ERAU campuses. While coordinator of the university’s general education program, she developed a “one-university” assessment of general education, the first assessment plan of a shared program spanning three campuses. She developed the “Humanistic STEM” strategic initiative to elevate the humanities among students focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Bourdeau has developed several online courses. In 2020, she presented a webinar about successfully navigating online education to IEEE’s Northern Virginia Section. She served on the committee for the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators conference in 2024.
Bourdeau holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Georgia in Athens, a master’s degree in management from Embry-Riddle and a bachelor’s degree in English from Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
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