Weronika Kusek, Ph.D.

Provost Fellow

Northern Michigan University

Weronika A. Kusek, PhD, is a Provost Fellow and tenured Associate Professor of Geography at Northern Michigan University. With over a decade of professional experience, she is a student-focused and collaborative academic committed to academic excellence, equitable learning outcomes, international education, and effective mentoring and retention for both students and faculty. Dr. Kusek leads initiatives to internationalize the curriculum, creating opportunities for students to experience international perspectives at home. She established a mentoring program and conducts workshops for newly hired international faculty, has served on various strategic planning committees, and is certified in Agile Strategic Doing. In addition, she has published more than 20 manuscripts and has administrative experience in the Provost’s Office and the Office of the President. She is also the recipient of the NMU 2020 Excellence in Teaching Award.

A native of Poznan, Poland, Dr. Kusek arrived in the United States in 2005 to attend the University of Toledo, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She later attended Kent State University to complete her PhD before relocating to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to join the faculty at Northern Michigan University. Throughout her career, she has chaired and served on multiple committees—including those for professional conferences, student retention, strategic planning, and the Presidential Learning Network—and served as the DEI Faculty Liaison to the Office of the President. Dr. Kusek has also been active in the American Association of Geographers, chairing both the Cultural Geography Specialty Group and the Committee on the Status of Women in Geography.

Dr. Kusek is married to her husband, Jack, and they have two young children.