Casey Shillam

As SOU’s Provost & Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Casey Shillam plays a leading role in sustaining campus environment of academic excellence and student success. The Provost works collaboratively with all other divisions (Finance and Administration; University Advancement; and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) to facilitate organizational success across the campus, with a strategic focus on access for all students. The Provost & Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs embodies the SOU commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, and co-curricular support and student services.

Dr. Shillam served as dean and professor of the University of Portland School of Nursing & Health Innovations prior to accepting the top academic role at SOU. Under her leadership, student enrollment at the UP nursing school grew by 35%, and the undergraduate nursing program became the state’s largest. She has secured more than $10 million in federal, philanthropic and foundation funding for academic program development, student scholarships and research throughout her administrative career.

Dr. Shillam’s work on aging and health policy has made significant impacts regionally and nationally. In Oregon, she shaped legislation through the House Committee on Health Care to address the healthcare workforce shortage, resulting in actionable steps with measurable outcomes to address critical issues. At the federal level, she co-chaired the Department of Health & Human Services RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council, which provided the U.S. Congress with the first national caregiving strategy and federal funding priorities to support over 53 million family caregivers. She is currently serving on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission.

Shillam is a first-generation college graduate with a deep commitment to student support and well-being. She earned a bachelor’s degree in arts and letters at Portland State University; bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in nursing, all at Oregon Health & Science University; and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Davis. Her bachelor’s degree in nursing was from the OHSU program on the SOU campus.