Dear UConn Faculty and Staff,
As you have likely heard, John Volin will be leaving UConn this month to become Provost at the University of Maine. We will miss John as an insightful and enthusiastic colleague who made significant contributions to academic affairs at the University. John has served the UConn community in many capacities, most recently as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, which we announced late this spring would be repositioned as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies.
Each transition provides the opportunity to evaluate staffing levels against our needs. Following wide-ranging consultation with faculty and staff representatives from Senate and our unions, as well as our academic leadership, I have decided to launch an internal search to fill the position of Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, rather than leave it vacant or to appoint an interim. Ultimately, we need strong oversight of the undergraduate mission as we embark on what will likely be one of the most challenging semesters we have ever experienced.
I remain committed to maintaining a Provost’s Office that is efficient and does not strain University resources, especially as we grapple with fiscal losses brought about by the pandemic. At the same time, I am mindful of President Katsouleas’s stated mantra that we do not make cuts that hurt our mission. It’s the same reason we have moved to fill faculty positions at a rate comparable to previous years and have filled critical staff vacancies, as well. Even after we have filled the two Vice Provost positions for which we are searching, our office structure will remain noticeably lean in comparison with peer institutions, which is a distinction I plan to preserve with each opportunity to review our staffing.
A full and open internal search is the most appropriate to ensure involvement by our community to fill this important role. Our office will work closely with the existing outstanding staff in the Provost’s Office and across our campuses with the goal of having someone in place early this fall.
To limit the gap, we are moving quickly to begin the search. We have appointed a search committee in our pursuit of an outstanding leader who will provide executive direction and strategic vision for this exciting new role. The advisory search committee will be co-chaired by Nina Heller, Dean of the School of Social Work, and Jeffrey Shoulson, who will be transitioning this fall to the role of Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary and Strategic Initiatives. The members of the committee are:
Jason Chang
Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies
Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute
Maria Chrysochoou
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sarah Croucher
Director of Academic Policy, Office of the Provost
Tom Deans
Professor of English
Director of the University Writing Center
Nina Heller (Co-Chair)
Dean of the School of Social Work
Efua Koomson
Undergraduate Student, Actuarial Science and Statistics
President, Honors 4 Diversity
Tamika La Salle
Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
Jennifer Lease-Butts
Associate Vice Provost for Enrichment Programs
Director of the Honors Program
Mona Lucas
Associate Vice President, Enrollment Planning & Management
José Manautou
Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Department Head of the Department of Pharmaceutics
Edward Neth
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry
David Noble
Assistant Professor in Residence, Department of Management
Director of the Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Amanda Pitts (Search Staffer)
Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Ashley Robinson
Ph.D. Candidate, Leadership and Education Policy
Vice President, Graduate Employee Union
Jeffrey Shoulson (Co-Chair)
Vice Provost for Academic Operations
Professor of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages
Susana Ulloa
Director of High School Initiatives, Institute for Student Success
Manuela Wagner
Associate Professor of German Studies and Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies
Chair, General Education Oversight Committee
Candidates should have a comprehensive resume of success in academic leadership roles and demonstrate exceptional skills that will enable them to support the undergraduate academic mission of the University. The successful candidate for this position will be a full professor at the University and will possess evidence of ethical decision-making; a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; a collaborative and transparent leadership style; good judgement; strong political acumen; a commitment to responsible stewardship of resources; and the ability to work as part of a team to efficiently manage a complex portfolio.
If you would like to discuss the position or nominate a candidate, please contact either Search Chair, Nina Heller (nina.heller@uconn.edu) or Jeffrey Shoulson (jeffrey.shoulson@uconn.edu), and the Search Staffer, Amanda Pitts (amanda.pitts@uconn.edu), to coordinate outreach from the search committee.
Additional information about the position and updates on the interview process will be available on the Provost’s website (https://provost.uconn.edu/administrators-and-leadership/academic-leader-searches/).
Qualified internal candidates may apply via this application link through July 27: https://secure.dc4.pageuppeople.com/apply/967/gateway/Default.aspx?c=apply&sJobIDs=494670&SourceTypeID=796&sLanguage=en-us
Application review will commence immediately and we anticipate the new vice provost will start near the beginning of the fall semester. The early phases of the process are confidential. Upon selection of finalists, each finalist will deliver a public presentation to the University community and meet with various relevant groups at UConn. We welcome your participation in this process. Schedules of the visits and opportunities for you to participate and provide feedback will be announced later this summer.
Sincerely,
Carl
Carl Lejuez
Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
For more information, contact: Amanda Pitts at amanda.pitts@uconn.edu