Renata Opoczynski

Dr. Renata Opoczynski is the Interim Vice Provost & Dean of Undergraduate Education at MSU. In this role she is charged with providing leadership and vision for student success, facilitating and aligning the student success efforts on campus, and creating a wide range of policies, practices, and programs designed to increase retention and close opportunity gaps so that every student can learn, thrive, and graduate. She also leads the central undergraduate student success team including the following units: Strategic Retention, Pathways Persistence Programs, New Student Orientation, Transfer Student Success, Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy, Envision Green (transfer partnership with community colleges), Data Analytics and Operations, Student Success Assessment, and Strategic Innovation. Dr. Opoczynski also facilitates the implementation of the student success strategic plan and manages campus-wide collaborative change initiatives.

Dr. Opoczynski has a deep commitment to social justice and is passionate about improving the enrollment, completion, and success of underserved students in higher education. She is a mixed methods researcher, and her research takes a social justice lens to state policy and institutional decision making.

Prior to her current role she had over 20 years of experience in both student affairs and academic affairs as well as strategic planning, assessment and accreditation. Her B.A. is from the University of Florida, and she is still a proud and loyal Gator fan! Her M.A. is from The Ohio State University and her Ph.D. is from Michigan State University.