Robin Rylaarsdam

Background

About Robin Rylaarsdam

Robin Pals Rylaarsdam, Ph.D, a committed leader in undergraduate science education and research, is Provost at Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Previously, she served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Xavier University. Under her leadership, the College improved undergraduate first-year and overall retention rates more than a full percentage point per year and achieved greater equity in student outcomes by ethnicity. The work of improving student outcomes every year forms the core of her work. The College increased graduate credit hours in every program with an overall gain of 85% over her first two years as Dean. She fostered strategic partnerships with graduate programs in health care and social services for guaranteed admission or interviews for SXU alums, providing direct pathways to sought-after careers. Partnerships with regional school districts and the Archdiocese of Chicago linked teachers and paraprofessionals with licensure and endorsement studies in SXU’s esteemed Education program. In prior academic posts, Dr. Rylaarsdam participated in nationwide STEM education endeavors and directed a research laboratory involved in drug development for McCune-Albright Syndrome patients that garnered NIH and NSF funding. Since 2001, she has been active in the Associated Colleges of the Chicagoland Area, serving as chair of the Biology Division twice and currently as Secretary of the Executive Committee. She held Board positions with the Great Lakes Chapter of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst, Illinois. She is a teaching fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and a fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation.