Karlyn Crowley

Provost, Ohio Wesleyan University
Karlyn is Provost of Ohio Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts college serving roughly 1500 students with more than 70 majors. OWU is one of 45 colleges featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives”; it is ranked in the top 100 national liberal arts colleges and listed as one of the “Top Schools on Social Mobility.” Karlyn oversees Academic Affairs which, at Ohio Wesleyan, features the signature integrated experience, the OWU Connection. She emphasizes creativity, entrepreneurship, and equity work to optimize the liberal arts experience in the midst of challenging higher education headwinds. Karlyn received her B.A. from Earlham College and her PhD from the University of Virginia. She is published in academic and popular publications, including Inside Higher Ed. Her book, Feminism’s New Age explores the relationship between feminism, whiteness, and New Age culture. In Crowley’s current project, Start Up Social Justice, she explores how entrepreneurship and start-up culture might inform progressive ends. Previously, Karlyn was Professor of English and Gender Studies at St. Norbert College where she held roles such as Founding Director of the Cassandra Voss Center, an endowed intersectional Identity Center, and Interim Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.