Vice Provost for Student Success

Pamela Cheek, vice provost for student success, is a professor of French in UNM’s Department of Languages, Cultures and Literatures. She joined UNM in 1996 as a faculty member, and in 2018, she joined the Office of Academic Affairs as associate provost for student success. In 2024 was promoted to her current position, where she oversees the assistant vice provost for academic success.

She is responsible for various aspects of academic and student success, including academic advising, course development, and academic program assessment. Cheek works alongside the provost and senior leadership in the schools and colleges on strategic and implementation of a variety of initiatives

Cheek grew up in three different places in three different countries — San Diego, Aix-en-Provence in France and Montreal in Canada — and was attracted to UNM for the “opportunity to work with students for whom college could make a real difference” as well as the beauty of New Mexico's wilderness.

She said what keeps her motivated the most about her position is the “chance to connect people with resources and opportunities.”

Cheek earned a bachelor’s degree in literature from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, then a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Stanford University.