Dr. Marie Cini

Dr. Marie Cini was named Provost and Chief Academic Officer of University of the People in 2022. An accomplished senior leader in higher education and nonprofit associations, her career spans more than 25 years in organizations serving working learners.

Most recently, Dr. Cini was Acting President of ED2WORK, a service firm focused on helping higher education institutions create new models for serving today’s learners. Prior to this, she served as president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). She has also served on the board of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) where she was chair of the board for two years.

Previously, Dr. Cini served as Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Maryland University College (now University of Maryland Global Campus). She also has led programs for adults at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and held increasingly responsible positions at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, and at City University of Seattle in Washington.

A strong advocate for broad access to higher education, Dr. Cini is committed to expanding the view of postsecondary education to a true lifelong model for learners of all ages. She believes that a robust 21st-century economy and the health and well-being of the planet depend on the ability of all individuals to learn across a longer lifespan.

Dr. Cini earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in social psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a master’s degree in counselor education from the Pennsylvania State University. She was inducted into the International Adult Continuing Education Hall of Fame in 2016. She has published and presented widely on topics related to online education, nontraditional learners, and the future of higher education.