Last week, the newly formed Provost Search Committee revealed its members to the UB community.
Charged with finding UB's next provost – the university's second-highest position, which was vacated after former Provost Satish K. Tripathi became president – the committee expects that the position will be filled no later than summer 2012.
The co-chairs of the committee are Anne B. Curtis, chair of the department of medicine, and SUNY Distinguished Professor David C. Felder, director of the Center for 21st Century Music.
The rest of the committee is made up of the following members:
Alexander Cartwright – Professor of Electrical Engineering; Vice President for Research
Jonathan Dandes – President, Rich Baseball Operations; Member of the UB Council
JoAnna Datz – Undergraduate Student, Management and Communications; President, Student Association
Michael Glick – Professor and Dean, School of Dental Medicine
Bruce Jackson – SUNY Distinguished Professor and James Agee Professor of American Culture, Department of English
Mia Jorgensen – Graduate Student, Anthropology, Student Representative to UB Council
David Milling – Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine; Senior Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Makau Mutua – SUNY Distinguished Professor, Floyd H. and Hilda L. Hurst Faculty Scholar, and Dean, Law School
Mulchand Patel – SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry
Barbara Ricotta – Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Lois Weis—SUNY Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy
Margaret Wells – Director, Public Services & Arts and Sciences Libraries, University Libraries
Aidong Zhang – Professor and Chair of Computer Science and Engineering
Ezra Zubrow – Professor of Anthropology; Chair, Faculty Senate
Spectrum reporters, upon placing phone calls to numerous committee members, learned that the committee has been instructed by Co-Chairs Curtis and Felder not to speak to the media about the committee. Curtis and Felder will be the only ones to speak to the press.
Curtis answered a few of The Spectrum's questions via email.
"The initial phases of the search will be conducted in confidence, as candidates are identified through a national search," Curtis said. "Once the initial screening is completed and finalists are identified, they will participate in campus visits that will include a wide variety of university participants. The names of the finalists will be made public at the time of the campus visits."
The public campus visits will be in contrast to last year's presidential search, which drew criticism for being conducted in total secrecy. The initial phases of this year's search will be conducted in confidence "out of respect for the candidates in their current professional positions."
Dr. Ilene Nagel, head of the higher education practice for Russell Reynolds Associates (a private firm describing itself as a "provider of senior-level executive search and assessment"), will aid the committee in its search. Nagel was involved with last year's presidential search as well.
Curtis said that the ideal candidate will have "an earned doctorate (or comparable academic degree)," administrative experience, and the ability to "work effectively with major regional foundations and industrial partners," among many other qualities.
The current interim provost is Harvey Stenger, formerly the dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. When asked whether Stenger was the favorite for the permanent position, Curtis said that internal candidates will be treated equally with external candidates.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
