Dr. Pamela Wimbush selected as inaugural Dean of UIndy Online and the Sease Institute

The University of Indianapolis announced today the appointment of Dr. Pamela Wimbush as inaugural Dean of UIndy Online and the Sease Institute. Wimbush, who currently serves as Associate Dean of Program Success and Organizational Excellence at California State University, Sacramento, will begin at UIndy on Feb. 3.

Wimbush serves as Chief Online Learning Officer at CSU Sacramento, also known as Sacramento State, an institution which is consistently named by the U.S. News & World Report as one of the top public universities in the West. As the first dean of the newly-created UIndy Online and Sease Institute, she will help meet the diverse needs of post-traditional learners.

“I am thrilled to join the University of Indianapolis and become a Greyhound,” said Wimbush. “My lifelong passion is to provide greater access to adult and non-traditional learners, giving them the ability to blossom and attain higher levels of social mobility. UIndy Online and Sease Institute has the opportunity and the duty to do just that—and, more than that, change lives.”

Wimbush has led the strategic vision and execution of transformative online learning initiatives affecting more than 160,000 learners at Sacramento State through innovative programs. She has been a key member of the dean’s leadership team helping shape decisions about enrollment, digital learning and financial management.

“I am so excited that Dr. Wimbush will lead UIndy into a new era,” said University of Indianapolis President Dr. Tanuja Singh. “It is vital that we continue to serve the needs of learners with flexible opportunities for retraining, reskilling and upskilling in today’s ever-changing work environment. Dr. Wimbush is the ideal person to help us achieve success.”

Wimbush has an Ed.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wyoming, along with multiple advanced degrees from the University of Maryland Global Campus, including in both Management and Distance Education. She has also worked for notable institutions including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Hampton University and Johns Hopkins University.

UIndy Online was created in July 2024 and joined with the Sease Institute to become a new academic unit at the University of Indianapolis, focused on developing and supporting a wide range of online, hybrid and face-to-face programs including fully online degree programs, stackable certificates and credentials, corporate training and executive education. As dean, Wimbush will report to Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Chris Plouff.

“Dr. Pamela Wimbush is uniquely qualified and brings the ideal blend of expertise and vision for the founding dean for UIndy Online and Sease Institute,” said Plouff. “Her extensive experience developing and supporting programming for post-traditional learners and community/corporate training are exactly what is needed at this critical juncture. The University of Indianapolis is positioned to be a leader of online education and professional development, furthering its tradition of serving the community with relevant and impactful education.

UIndy Online will immediately begin supporting UIndy’s online programs and students and is expected to enroll new students in its degree completion programs this fall. In addition, UIndy Online and Sease Institute will launch new degree programs at the graduate and undergraduate level as well as new stackable certificate programs, similar to the stackable MBA, Indiana’s first, by the fall. The Sease Institute will continue to provide innovative community/corporate training programs and credentialing to meet the reskilling and upskilling needs of the local and regional economy.