Dr. Eileen McKiernan González began her work as Associate Provost in the Fall of 2021 after eighteen years with the Department of Art and Art History at Berea College, having served as Professor along with various roles including Chair and Director of Visual Arts, Curator of the Berea Art Collection and Director of the Doris Ulmann Galleries. She has been an active supporter of study abroad opportunities through the Berea International Summer Term program and the Kentucky Institute for International Studies and has taught Berea students on five continents.  The intersection of art, culture, and identity center her teaching and research, as does affirming students’ sense of connection with the global community.

Dr. McKiernan González is a graduate of Wheaton College, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Art History and in International Relations. Upon the completion of her undergraduate studies, she spent an extended research year as a Fulbright-Hays Fellow in Bogotá, Colombia, followed by an Internship in Museum Diversity at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Her Master of Arts in Art History at The University of Texas at Austin focused on modern Latin American art; her thesis considered the rise of abstraction in Colombia during La Violencia (1948-1962). Her Doctorate, also from The University of Texas at Austin, explored the architectural and religious patronage of Iberian queens in the late 12^th century. Her teaching and research have continued to balance medieval and modern artistic expression, with a focus on the Global South.

As Associate Provost, Dr. McKiernan González supports General Education, the Hutchins Library, Convocations, and our Academic Centers (bell hooks center, Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education, Center for Excellence in Learning through Service, Center for Teaching and Learning, Francis & Louise Hutchins Center for International Education, and the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center.