Mississippi State University’s provost search committee is wrapping up the interviewing process and a new provost is expected to be selected by mid-March.
Faculty Senate president and Provost search committee member Hart Bailey said the committee is currently in the middle of bringing candidates to campus for interviews.
“This phase will continue for the next week or so,” Bailey said. “We will have all the candidates in by next Wednesday.”
The candidates for provost include: Thomas Keon, Dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Central Florida; Jerry Gilbert, Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Mississippi State; Beverly Sypher, Associate Provost for Special Initiatives at Purdue University; Bobby Gempesaw, Dean of Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware, and Jeff Vitter, Department of Computer Science and Engineering professor at Texas A&M University.
Louis D’Abramo, dean of the Graduate School and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, who is also on the committee, said the new provost will be chosen soon after the final candidate comes to campus for their interview, which will be around the second or third week in March.
“Once all the candidates have interviewed, then the search committee will begin deliberations and those deliberations will include a review of the evaluations from campus administration, faculty, professional staff and students,” D’Abramo said.
Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and chair of the provost search committee Gary Myers said there are five finalists being interviewed on campus.
Myers said there is no formal election for the position of provost, but rather an extensive interview and deliberation process.
“Once the interviews conclude, a report from the search committee will be given to the President and he will decide who will be the next provost,” Myers said. “The committee will submit its report by March 5.”
D’Abramo said the committee is looking for a person who will earn the respect and trust of the faculty and students.
“We are looking for someone who can effectively lead a comprehensive land grant institution like Mississippi State University,” he said. “We are also looking for someone who can help to lead Mississippi through some difficult budgetary times and who will have to make some tough decisions, but also be resourceful enough to identify opportunities arising from these tough times.”
Myers said the provost is the chief academic officer for MSU, which means the provost oversees all academic units.
“The committee looks for exceptional academic experience, an ability to work with faculty, staff, and students; expertise in university operations and someone with a vision for the academic future of MSU,” he said.
D’Abramo said it is uncertain as to when the new provost will begin his or her term.
“The sooner the better,” he said. “But I suspect that the goal for when the term starts will probably be when the new fiscal year starts July 1, 2010.”
Myers confirmed the new provost will start as soon as the president wants him or her to, but he or she will most likely take over July 1, 2010.
D’Abramo said the new provost’s initial responsibilities would be to spend time getting to know the faculty and students, as well as meeting with the deans and department heads.
“Basically, discovering the tenor of the academic environment on campus, which will establish a good foundation for his or her administration,” he said.
D’Abramo said the provost search committee was pleased with the pool of candidates who applied and felt the five selected are potentially the best fits for the position.
Myers said the committee is very happy with the finalists and the process has gone well.
“The search committee has done an outstanding job,” Myers said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them.”
To find out more information about the provost search or to provide feedback about one of the candidates, go to provostsearch.msstate.edu.