After Provost’s resignation, university seeks new administrator
As the Spring 2016 semester commences at Waynesburg University, so too does the search for a new university Provost.
Former Waynesburg University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jacquelyn Core resigned at the end of December. Following her resignation, Dr. Dana Baer, professor of criminal justice, was named as Acting Provost for the interim.
According to Richard Krause, assistant professor of communication and chair of the search committee, consideration of candidates for Provost will be based on a desire to establish constancy by hiring someone well suited to Waynesburg’s environment and goals and the responsibilities of a chief academic officer.
“[The search committee is] certainly looking for a person who would be comfortable and who would work well within the mission of Waynesburg,” said Krause. “For me, it’s important that we establish some stability. The stability part of this is very important to us to get somebody who’s going to come here and lead us in a very positive direction.”
Led by Krause, the search committee is comprised of nine individuals who represent numerous areas on campus, including administration, Graduate and Professional Studies, department chairs, academic support and especially faculty.
“It was really important in terms of the composition of this committee that we wanted to include faculty members who have been at the institution for some time and so they have some experience in processes like this before,” said Krause. “That way, they can lend their experience to what is certainly a critical search for the institution.”
As the committee convenes its initial meetings, the goal is to quickly develop advertisements for the position, which will then be distributed nationally. After meeting with Waynesburg University Human Resources to write text for advertisements, Krause said they plan to get word out as soon as possible.
The timing of hiring a Provost is uncertain, as searches like this one take time. But Krause hopes to have the new hire in place for the start of the next school year.
“Certainly we would want to have the search resolved and a person in place for the Fall term,” Krause said. “It’s important that we be very efficient in this search.”
The exact criteria for potential Provost candidates, according to Krause, will be discussed and agreed upon by committee members during their early meetings.
“In any kind of position, you’re always looking for an experienced person, somebody who’s been through the rigors of higher education and academia,” said Krause.
The committee’s job will be to narrow down applicants to a small group of promising candidates. Then, the candidates will visit campus for official interviews, during which Krause said they will meet with a number of different university groups. If current university employees apply for the position, they will go through the same process as external candidates.
“We will have a large part of the campus community involved in this process,” said Krause. “My intent is to establish an agenda that would include access to the candidates. There’s going to be a mechanism in place so that a lot of people have an opportunity to meet the candidate when he or she is on campus.”
Krause said each candidate will ideally meet with the search committee, department chairs and faculty members and even a select group of students chosen to represent the student body.
Because of this system, according to Krause, the importance of faculty members’ role in hiring a new Provost will be recognized.
Since faculty interact with and are affected by the Provost regularly, Krause wanted to ensure they had adequate representation throughout the search.
“An important part of this process is the faculty’s role, not only in terms of representation on the committee, but on how we’re going to plan the itinerary for the candidates when they arrive on campus,” said Krause. “Faculty will have a very significant role and feedback in this process. We very much want it to be a faculty-led process.”