The 18 members of the Provost Search Committee continue their search to fill the position of provost that was vacated last year by Chancellor Bob Coombe’s elevation to his new position.
The search commenced with a nationwide call for applicants in the beginning of October.
Coombe chose to utilize the considerable resources available within the DU community rather than hire a consultant to facilitate the search.
Christine MacMillan, the director of planning and assessment at the Daniels College of Business, discussed the process of assembling applications and then narrowing the search to a select few.
MacMillan, said, “The committee placed an ad in the Chronicle of Higher Education, which was our main source of advertising. We also sent a letter to about 12,000 academics across the country of Dean or higher standing, asking if there was anyone they wished to nominate for the position.”
The committee also solicited feedback from individuals and groups from within the university to ascertain the expectations of the community and shape the description of the position and qualities necessary in a candidate.
The position of provost will be filled by someone who, according to the letter sent out, will be a “dynamic leader who will motivate and inspire the faculty in the university’s quest to be excellent, diverse and internationally recognized for its undergraduate and graduate programs.”
Currently, the committee has more than 100 applications.
Although “we are just starting to narrow down the pool in the coming weeks, we continue to accept applications until the position is filled”, said MacMillan.
Since July, 1 Greg Kvistad, the dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, has been acting as the interim provost and will serve as such until the position is filled.
Kvistad has been a faculty member at DU since 1984 and has been dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for the past seven years.
Last October, Jo Calhoun, the associate provost for academic resources, discussed with the AUSA Senate the significance of the search for a new provost.
She stressed that this is “an extremely powerful position that is just as important as the Chancellor.”
According to Calhoun, the committee is looking for someone of a “distinguished academic background” who is “inspirational and innovative” and “focused on financial strategies.”
MacMillan emphasized this point as well, stressing that “although potentially [the candidate] could come from the business world, we are requiring a Ph.D., so it most likely be someone who has spent a fair amount of time in the academic world.”
The Provost Search Committee represents a broad community of students and faculty, consisting of two members of the DU Board of Trustees, three deans, four staff members, six faculty and three students.
“To narrow down the pool of applicants, we do telephone interviews and then with some airport interviews so that the applicants can just fly in and out. This also keeps a certain degree of confidentiality for the applicants,” said MacMillan.
“After that, we are planning to bring three of the applicants to campus. This, then, of course is non-confidential, as the entire campus will have an opportunity to greet them.”
The committee meets every Tuesday to specify the pool, and, according to MacMillan, “the goal is to have the position filled by the spring and have the new provost begin the following academic year.”
The committee will ultimately recommend certain candidates to Coombe, who will meet with both the committee and the candidates in order to make the final decision.
