Dr. Cicero bring years of leadership in academic excellence and innovation to help advance new possibilities in education.
SAN DIEGO, CA (March 23, 2023) — National University (NU), a nonprofit university committed to innovating around access and success for adult learners, recently announced that Dr. John Cicero will serve as the provost. In this role, Dr. Cicero will oversee the upcoming expansion of our academic programs which will focus on providing career-relevant certificates and degrees that will prepare our students for the jobs of today and the future. His extensive technical experience will position Dr. Cicero to guide the implementation of new technologies into the learning space in a way that enhances learning while maximizing the benefits of person-to-person interactions and mentoring.
“Dr. Cicero brings the right personal characteristics and leadership style to the job. An excellent listener, a conscientious team leader, and an incredibly hard worker, he has built strong relationships with faculty and staff throughout the organization,” said Dr. Mark D. Milliron, president and CEO of National University. “His institutional knowledge and collaborative approach will serve us all well as he solves problems and focuses on making the university better every day.”
A nationally-recognized educator and innovator, Dr. Cicero joined NU in 2012 serving in the roles of dean of the School of Engineering, Technology & Media, dean of the School of Engineering and Computing, vice provost of academics and faculty (while simultaneously serving as the dean of College of Professional Studies), and most recently interim provost. Dr. Cicero holds a B.S and a Ph.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology, along with a Master of Science degree from Northwestern University. He began his distinguished career teaching engineering and computer science, with his areas of specialty including embedded processors, programming languages, and robotics. Upon entering academic administration, Dr. Cicero first served as dean of the College of Business, Benedictine University in Lisle (1999-2005) and acting dean, School of Education, Benedictine University in Lisle (2004-2005). He then took over as dean of Academic Affairs, Springfield Jr. College and Benedictine University at Springfield College (2005-2007). He moved on to serve as dean of Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies while also teaching as a professor in the natural sciences at Roosevelt University (2007–2012). He has published more than 20 technical articles and has one patent. “I look forward to providing a collaborative leadership approach as we advance innovation and integrate new learning technologies into learning spaces,” Dr. Cicero said. “This is an exciting time at National University, as we work to expand our academic programs and prepare our students for future careers.”
In addition to teaching, Dr. Cicero consulted with several companies. At Systems & Electronics, Inc., he developed a GPS-based flight scoring system; he was a member of the Shock Trial Team for the Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt; and he developed black-box flight recorders for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. At BoatMaster, he was responsible for the complete software design of a small boat-handling simulator. At Tellabs and Rockwell International, he was involved in the design of PABX telephone switching systems.
Visit the National University website at NU.edu to learn more about NU’s new possibilities in education including next-generation education, value-rich education, and whole human education.
About National University: National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of hard-working adults by providing accessible, affordable, achievable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego’s largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 75 online and on-campus programs and flexible four-week classes designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 40,000 students and 200,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. Learn more at NU.edu