I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Yakut Gazi, PhD, as vice-provost, teaching and learning at the University of Calgary, effective April 15, 2026.
Dr. Gazi brings more than 30 years of global experience in higher education, spanning faculty, staff, and senior administrative leadership roles across four countries. She is widely recognized for advancing innovation in teaching and learning, expanding access to education, and leading large-scale digital learning initiatives.
Yakut Gazi/Photo Credit: Inara Price
Since 2022, she has served as vice-provost forlearning innovation and digital education at Duke University, where she led the university's Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education (LILE) unit. In this role, she led a renewed focus on pedagogical innovation across the university while overseeing a portfolio spanning pre-college and summer programs, online and professional education, and lifelong learning, and driving institutional strategy for non-degree and digital offerings. She also co-led university-wide initiatives on artificial intelligence, shaping Duke's approach to integrating AI across teaching, learning, workforce development, and society.
Previously, Dr. Gazi held senior leadership roles at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University, where she led the development and scaling of online degrees and distance-education programs, while supporting faculty in delivering high-quality, accessible learning experiences.
At the University of Calgary, Dr. Gazi will provide strategic leadership in learning innovation and digital education, working with faculties and campus partners to support teaching and learning initiatives, work she describes as deeply personal.
"UCalgary sits at a remarkable moment, where there is a genuine invitation to build something extraordinary together," says Dr. Gazi. "I look forward to working alongside our students, faculty, and staff to create learning environments that are effective, engaging, inclusive, and future-focused; ones that open doors for every learner and prepare our graduates not just for the careers of today, but for the challenges and opportunities we cannot yet imagine. Teaching and learning are the heartbeat of a university, and I could not be more excited to champion that work here, in this community, on this land."
Originally from Istanbul, Dr. Gazi will be relocating to Calgary with her husband, their teenage daughter, and their two Boston Terriers.
I would like to thank the members of the Vice-Provost Search Advisory Committee for their exceptional work and contributions to this process: Dr. Robin Yates (provost team representative); Trevor Poffenroth (IT representative); tenured academic staff representatives Drs. Jessalyn Holodinsky, Soroush Sabbaghan, Fouzia Usman and Jennifer Adams; Dr. Denis Onen (TUCFA representative); Dr. Todd Anderson (decanal representative); Dr. D'Arcy Norman (MaPS representative); Kelly Hoglund (AUPE representative); Gabriela Dziegielewska (SU representative); Jacob Amengor (GSA representative); GFC representatives Dr. Jessica Ayala and Sherry Weaver; and Library and Cultural Resources representative Dr. Mary-Jo Romaniuk.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Gazi to the University of Calgary.
Dr. Sandra Davidson, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, FCAN
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
