Vice Provost Karen A. Lee serves as the university's accreditation liaison officer (ALO). She joined the university administration of PLNU in 2016. Her academic scholarship focuses on 20th century British and American literature, postcolonial theory, and translation studies — specialties wherein she has published a number of refereed articles plus an academic monograph, Anglophone Literatures of the Asian Diaspora: Literary Transnationalism and Translingual Migrations. A voting member of the National Book Critics Circle and a National Endowment for the Arts fellow, Dr. Lee has also published an avant-garde novel, Sonata in K, a volume of Song Dynasty translations, Doubled Radiance: Poetry & Prose of Li Qingzhao, and several award-winning poetry collections. She actively supports the California Arts Council.
As vice provost, Dr. Lee oversees the systems and processes supporting educational quality assurance and compliance with accreditation standards. She seeks to sustain PLNU's mission of academic excellence in the Wesleyan tradition by engaging faculty and students in program review, assessment, and evidence-informed decision-making. She serves on the Provost's Council, Academic Council, Planning Council, Strategic Enrollment Planning Committee, Program Assessment and Review Committee, and Advisory Group for the Study Abroad Office. Dr. Lee has also served on other committees at PLNU, including the President's Task Force on Developing Intercultural Capacity and Competency.
Originally from New England, Dr. Lee received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brown University and her doctorate from U.C. Berkeley.
