Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg has been named the 11th president of The University of Tampa. Prior to this role, she was the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Texas Christian University.
Beyond serving as TCU’s chief academic officer, Dahlberg also held professorships in computer science and engineering. With over two decades of experience in higher education, both as a faculty member and an administrator, she is particularly recognized for her advocacy of student success, pioneering academic programs, and inclusivity efforts. At TCU, she guided the establishment of the Burnett School of Medicine, raised the percentage of minority faculty from 16% to 22%, and acted as the principal fundraiser for college benefactors.
Before her 2019 appointment at TCU, Dahlberg was the dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University, New York. There, she initiated strategic and advancement plans centered on student experiences, research, and diversity and inclusion. Additionally, she spearheaded the college’s fundraising campaign, significantly aiding Syracuse’s $1.5 billion Forever Orange capital campaign.
Prior to her role at Syracuse, Dahlberg held the position of chief academic officer and dean at the Albert Nerken School of Engineering at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. She was also the associate dean at the College of Computing and Informatics at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. During her tenure at Charlotte, Dahlberg co-founded and led the STARS Computing Corps, a National Science Foundation Alliance that involved more than 50 colleges and universities in service-learning initiatives. Additionally, she headed the Diversity in Information Technology Institute, an action research center dedicated to bolstering the STEM pipeline from primary education to academia.
Throughout her academic tenure, Dahlberg has secured over $20 million in external funding as the principal investigator for initiatives in computer education, expanding access to computing, and wireless networking research. She aims to enhance the University of Tampa’s distinguished track record by reinforcing student and faculty success and diversity initiatives, elevating the institution’s reputation, and improving its financial stability.
Dahlberg initiated her professional journey at IBM Corporation in North Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and obtained both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, where she has been inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.