Carlos Jensen
Carlos Jensen is an academic leader, educator, and innovator dedicated to improving student success and expanding access to high-quality learning experiences. As Vice Provost for Student Success and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), he leads university-wide efforts to strengthen the undergraduate experience, advance inclusive excellence, and build systems and programs that support all students in thriving academically and personally.
Throughout his career, Jensen has focused on bridging educational innovation, data-informed decision making, and student-centered design. Before joining UMBC, he served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Innovation at UC San Diego, where he built organizational capacity for academic change, oversaw the Teaching and Learning Commons, led campuswide curricular analytics initiatives, expanded online and hybrid learning, and co-led the institution’s educational response to COVID-19. His work in curricular analytics and academic planning has influenced practices at major research universities nationwide.
Jensen previously held leadership roles at Oregon State University, including Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the College of Engineering and Director of the Center for Applied Systems and Software, an experiential learning center he founded that connected students with industry-aligned real-world project experience. Across these roles, he led successful program development efforts, championed student success initiatives, advanced equity-focused reforms, and strengthened faculty development and shared governance.
A computer scientist by training, Jensen’s research spans software engineering, human-computer interaction, privacy, and open-source communities, with numerous publications in top venues. He has mentored doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate researchers and remains deeply committed to fostering pathways into research and industry for students from all backgrounds.
With more than two decades of experience in academic leadership, program building, and collaborative institutional change, Jensen brings to the UIA a strong commitment to evidence-based decision making, institutional partnership, and creating learning environments where every student has the opportunity to succeed.
