Provost
Dr. Robert Savukinas
Dr. Savukinas was born in Washington DC and grew up in a bilingual household speaking Italian and English. He attended Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on an Army ROTC Scholarship and graduated with honors in Spanish and Political Science. His undergraduate immersion experience was in Alicante, Spain, and subsequently attended graduate school to earn a Master’s Degree in Spanish from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. During this time, Dr. Savukinas began his teaching career instructing Spanish. His graduate immersion experience was in Valladolid, Spain. Dr. Savukinas attended The George Washington University as a Graduate Fellow, earning his Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration. As a Graduate Fellow, Dr. Savukinas is credited for revising the graduate student admissions process which enabled the institution to make admissions decisions more efficiently. Dr. Savukinas has published in the area of Spanish literature, community colleges and students with disabilities, open universities, and facility-improving community college partnerships. His dissertation was nominated for a national award. Dr. Savukinas has held positions in government, education and the military sector. Early in his career, Dr. Savukinas served as a Congressional Staffer for the 7th Congressional District, North Carolina. In this capacity, he focused on military/veteran and immigration issues. Dr. Savukinas also instructed foreign language at several institutions. He has over 13 years of combined teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Dr. Savukinas likewise has military experience. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served 12 years in the Reserve where his assignments included working as the S-1 in a Military Police Training Brigade, Executive Officer, Company Commander, and Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment Commander. DLIFLC hired Dr. Savukinas in 2005 as Assistant Registrar. In this capacity, he led the DLIFLC Associate of Arts Degree program and he volunteered to be a lead author for the 2006 Accreditation Self Study. Since then, Dr. Savukinas was promoted to Registrar, Associate Dean, Accreditation Liaison Officer, and Director of the Office of Standardization and Academic Excellence. He earned several military distinctions to include Army Commendation Medals and Army Achievement Medals. Some of his most notable accomplishments include establishing and managing the DLIFLC Board of Visitors, maintaining and reaffirming DLIFLC’s regional (WASC/ACCJC) and TRADOC accreditations, and the continuous success of the DLIFLC Associate of Arts Degree program. Dr. Savukinas is married and has three daughters.