Oct. 29, 2019: Letter to the Community

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Dear Spartans,

As we embark on the search for a new provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, I am pleased to announce a diverse, inclusive and distinguished search committee that will guide us through this process. The 22-person committee includes faculty, staff and students representing many areas of the university.

The provost is a very important position at a university, serving as the chief academic officer for the institution. This person provides leadership for matters that affect academic programs, research and outreach involving all faculty, students and staff. I am confident our search committee members have the understanding and dedication to find a candidate who shares our priorities for student success, campus safety and diversity, as well as our commitment to the pursuit of academic excellence and world-changing research.

We plan to bring finalists to campus in the spring, and it is our goal to have a new provost identified by the end of the spring semester. I would appreciate your patience and flexibility as the committee proceeds thoroughly and thoughtfully. Please visit the provost search website regularly for updates including a timeline and position description as well as the opportunity to nominate candidates for the position. We are going to work with Parker Executive Search, an executive search firm specializing in higher education administration, and plan for finalists to visit campus before I recommend our top candidate to the Board of Trustees.

Please join me in supporting the work of our provost search committee.

Sincerely,
Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.