Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

On behalf of everyone at Thomas Edison State University, we hope that students affected by the wildfires in Southern California remain safe. The University is offering accommodations to students affected by the wildfires:

  • Students who are directly impacted by the fires and who are currently registered in courses for the November 2024, December 2024 and January 2025 terms have the option of receiving a free eight-week course extension without mentor approval; or, a 100% tuition credit for their course(s) to a future term. Affected students should submit a Request for Course Extension Form or a Request for Course Withdrawal Form indicating “Southern California wildfires” as the reason for the request. Please note that TECEP exams in these terms cannot be extended, nor credited for tuition after the exam has been taken.
  • Impacted students who are currently on a course extension for the September 2024 and October 2024 terms can request a second eight-week extension on their current term at no additional cost.

Request an Accommodation: Students affected by the wildfire and evacuations who need an accommodation should contact the Office of the Registrar by email at registration@tesu.edu or by phone at 609-777-5680. Accommodation requests should be submitted by January 24th. Requests after that date can be accommodated if the student provides documentation of the reason for the late request.

Cynthia Baum, Ph.D.

Image supporting the content of this page

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Cynthia G. Baum serves as the provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Thomas Edison State University. She brings to this role extensive experience in both academic and operational leadership, with a particular focus on regional and specialized accreditation, student outcomes and program development/assessment. She has served in a variety of leadership roles including president at Walden University and chancellor and chief academic officer at Argosy University, overseeing the totality of the academic program and delivery at each institution.

Baum has served as a commissioner for the WASC Senior College and University Commission. She also held full-time faculty appointments at Virginia Tech and The Catholic University of America.

Trained as a clinical psychologist, Baum worked in the nonprofit sector as assistant executive director for Education at the American Psychological Association (APA). She has been recognized for her work in psychology education with several honors and awards, including a presidential citation from the American Psychological Association and the Advocacy Award of the Association for the Advancement of Psychology. She held leadership positions in organizations such as the Association Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and is a past president of the National Council of Schools and Programs in Professional Psychology. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. degree in psychology from the University of Georgia and her B.S. degree in psychology at Denison University.