Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of Graduate Studies

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Jody Cormack

Jody Cormack, DPT, MSEd

Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of Graduate Studies

In her role as Vice Provost, Dr. Cormack is responsible for all matters of academic program planning, educational policy, curriculum review, and institutional/programmatic assessment. She works closely with all academic deans and associate deans, faculty, and the Curriculum and Educational Policy Council (CEPC) of the Academic Senate. In this role, Dr. Cormack develops and implements high-quality curriculum and degrees to enrich educational policies for the campus.

Dr. Cormack collaborates with the Office of Academic Programs and Articulation to ensure all curriculum is outlined in the campus catalog and to the Community Colleges. She oversees the Academic Integrity Committee and the final stage of the University-level grade appeals on behalf of the Provost. She also directs program and university (WSUSC) assessment and review in conjunction with the Director of Program Assessment and the Program Assessment and Review Council of the Academic Senate.

As Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Cormack oversees Graduate Studies on the campus, and works closely with Graduate Advisors to facilitate academic progress of graduate students. She leads the Graduate Studies Success Initiative in conjunction with the Director of Graduate Studies. She is the campus coordinator for the Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program, and the California Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) from the CSU Chancellor’s Office. She also coordinates the Student Research Forum highlighting graduate student research.

Other aspects of her position include enhancing awareness of CSULB’s first-rate graduate degree’s reputation on campus as well as the surrounding educational communities.  She creates opportunities to showcase and utilize the programs and faculty expertise on campus to support the surrounding area. Dr. Cormack has appreciated the campus’s diversity, and looks for ways to increase opportunities for underrepresented minorities in graduate and undergraduate degree programs.

Dr. Cormack had been a faculty member since 2003 in the Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS).  She began with neurology-related curriculum, and later served as the Director of Clinical Education. Her passion of creating learning opportunities for students came into the forefront at the campus neurology clinic that served the local community. She served as the Department Chair from 2014-17. As Chair, she managed faculty assignments and scheduling, advised graduate students on academic progress, led curriculum assessment and revision, wrote program reviews for campus and accreditation agencies. She streamlined a budget of over $2,000,000 maximizing the department’s resources.

Dr. Cormack has been an active member of the campus community, serving in the Academic Senate, the Faculty Personnel Policy Council, the CHHS Faculty Council, the CHHS Inter-professional Education task force, and the Chair’s Advisory Council. She also served as a Faculty Advisor for the Chancellor’s Office, coordinating the CSU transition of all PT programs to the Doctoral degree. This included acting as liaison between the Chancellor’s Office and all CSU PT programs, leading preparation and review of WASC substantive change documents, creating a base budget for DPT programs, and coordinating Title V changes and Executive Order creation related to the DPT.

Dr. Cormack, a CSULB alumna, received her BS degree in Physical Therapy. After working as a physical therapist in the rehabilitation setting, she returned to academia and earned MS in Biokinesiology and Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees from the University of Southern California.  She became a Board Certified Specialist in Neurologic PT and a Certified Clinical Instructor. This background in teaching led her to pursue a full-time faculty position where she earned her MS in Education at USC. In addition to the curriculum, assessment, and leadership focus of her Education degree, Dr. Cormack completed a fellowship offered by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Educational Leadership Institute (ELI) focused on Leadership in Higher Education. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors for several Professional and Community Organizations.