Faculty senators selected for provost search committee

Jenna Farhat, Managing Editor|January 23, 2018

Brian Hayes

Faculty senators listen as Ron Matson, dean of the college of liberal arts and sciences, talks about the history of the general education curriculum during the first faculty senate meeting of the year in Clinton Hall.

Four faculty members will help the university find a new provost.

Business professor Gery Markova and music professor Aleks Sternfeld-Dunn were voted to the provost search committee during a faculty senate meeting Monday.

Music professor and faculty senator Aleks Sternfeld-Dunn was elected to the provost search committee.
Business professor and faculty senator Gery Markova was elected to the provost search committee.

Faculty Senate President Carolyn Shaw said she and Betty Smith-Campbell — Faculty Senate president-elect and senator from the school of nursing — were asked to serve on the committee by President John Bardo.

The committee, which will be chaired by Vice President for Finance and Administration Werner Golling, is in charge of the national search for a new provost following Provost and Senior Vice President Tony Vizzini’s paid leave from the university “to focus on his professional goals.”

Vizzini was named a finalist in a chancellor search at another university, The Sunflower reported in November. 

He will continue to receive his $297,353 salary while on leave.

Betty Smith-Campbell, Faculty Senate president-elect and senator from the school of nursing, was asked by President John Bardo to serve on the provost search committee.

The provost is the top academic officer, and assumes the university president’s role if the president is unable to serve. Rick Muma, senior associate vice president for academic affairs and strategic enrollment management will serve as interim provost until the position is filled.

Faculty Senate President Carolyn Shaw was asked by President John Bardo to serve on the provost search committee.

Shaw said in an email that provost search committee members have not been finalized yet, “but will likely have about 15 members from units all across campus that interact regularly with the Office of Academic Affairs.”

She said the university aims to have the position filled by the start of the next academic year.

“President Bardo said he thinks it’s very important that the Faculty Senate have a good representation, that this is a very important search, and wants us to be a key part of it,” Shaw said.

Ballots were passed out to senators, who voted confidentially for their picks for the provost search committee.

Senators picked two from a list of five nominated faculty senators that agreed to serve on the committee if they were chosen — Abu Asaduzzaman, engineering senator; Gamal Weheba, engineering senator; Aleks Sternfeld-Dunn, fine arts senator; Gery Markova, business senator; and Bob Ross, business senator.