The Office of the Provost hopes to hire two new Associate Provosts by March or April, said Provost James O’Donnell. O’Donnell stated that the two full-time positions are not new and were left vacant by his predecessor, Dr. Dorothy Brown, in order to give him the freedom to choose his own staff.
“The positions have been vacant for years, rather than months. [Brown] did not know how long she would be in office, so she did not fill them,” O’Donnell said.
Brown was named interim provost in 1998 and in 1999 accepted a three-year term. Brown was replaced by O’Donnell in July 2002.
According to O’Donnell, there was a lower-level staff position created last year to assist the Provost. However, when he took office, the person filling that position had left the University.
O’Donnell announced his intention to fill the positions to senior level administrators in mid-December and posted the job descriptions nationwide shortly before Christmas.
“At this point, I have 27 people reporting to me and that’s too many, so I’m looking for a couple of ‘sidekicks,’” he said.
The Provost serves as the chief academic and administrative officer of the University, responsible for all undergraduate and graduate programs.
One of the Associate Provosts will be “responsible for the overall management of the academic enterprises of the Main Campus,” according to the job description.
The other position will manage and supervise the staff and work processes within the Office of the Provost.
O’Donnell is conducting the search for candidates himself.
O’Donnell said that for one of the positions, he has a short list of potential candidates but is continuing to read applications. The other position is open until filled, he said.
