DR. ELISE BICKFORD JORGENS became Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs on July 15, 2003.  Prior to her appointment at the College of Charleston, Jorgens was interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Western Michigan University after serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences there since 1996.  She went to WMU in 1977 as a faculty member in the School of Music. A year later, she joined the English faculty, where she earned the rank of full professor. Jorgens served as director of graduate studies in the Department of English from 1989 to 1992 and completed an administrative internship in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1984-85.  For four years beginning in 1992, she was the college's associate dean for curriculum and instruction. After receiving her bachelor's degree in English literature at Carleton College, Jorgens earned a Ph.D. in musicology from the City University of New York. Before joining the WMU faculty, she served as a lecturer at the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Maryland.

An active researcher, she has received more than a dozen fellowships and grants and has published one book, edited a 12-volume series, and is the author of many articles, book chapters and book reviews.  Jorgens has been invited to speak at a wide variety of conferences and seminars, including several national events sponsored by the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. She has been associate editor of Explorations in Renaissance Culture since 1995 and consulting editor of Massachusetts Studies in Early Modern Culture since 1993. Jorgens has served on a variety of regional and national boards and committees, including the executive committee of the Michigan ACE Network for Women in Higher Education Administration, the advisory board of the Michigan Civics Institute, the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences board of directors and the executive board of the Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies. Within the community, she was involved with Rotary International, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and the Kalamazoo County Forum, as well as serving as a chorus member and board member of the Michigan Bach Collegium.

During her time as associate dean and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, she played a key role in many changes at the institution. As the university moved aggressively toward greater graduate and research intensity, Jorgens placed the College of Arts and Sciences at the forefront of this movement with the development of a number of new doctoral programs and significantly enhanced federally funded research.