Provost search underway as committee is formed
By Carlos Peralta
Staff Writer
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke has begun its search for a new provost.
After Provost Dr. Charles F. Harrington resigned as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs on March 29, Chancellor Charles R. Jenkins appointed Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. William H. Gash as Interim Provost.
Dr. Gash said that the main job of a provost is to deal with faculty and student issues and to be the Chief Academic Officer for the University and Vice Chancellor for the Office of Academic Affairs.
Dr. Gash said the search for a new provost is not going to be an easy process, and it will take some time.
The search committee is comprised of 18 people and it is chaired by Dr. Robert Brown, who is the chair of the history department.
"The search just started," Dr. Brown said. "Applicants are just now submitting their applications."
So far they have about 50 applications, but that number changes every day. The way the committee has gone about recruiting applicants is by drawing up a job description and posting it on web sites where relevant people can find the information and apply for the position.
According to the Provost advertisement, the Provost must be an academic leader who will advance and expand the University's academic mission, and is capable of galvanizing the faculty to initiate change in order to support and promote higher levels of academic excellence.
"Chancellor Carter would like the search to be concluded this fall; that's our target," Dr. Brown said. "If everything goes well the new provost could start in January, or by the 18th of July at the latest."
The advertisement also stated that the key position requires an individual who recognizes and embraces the role of an engaged comprehensive regional institution as a catalyst for change and improvement in the region it serves.
UNCP's Chancellor Kyle R. Carter announced the members of the Provost Search Committee on April 29, and during this announcement Chancellor Carter said the search process should yield "the key person for the academic success of UNCP."
The search committee for the provost search consists of: Dr. Robert Brown, chair of history department; Dr. Jamie Litty, chair of mass communication; Dr. Gary Mauk, assistant professor of education; Dr. Karen Stanley, associate professor for education; Dr. Cammie Hunt Oxendine, interim dean of business; Dr. Stewart Thomas, interim assistant dean of business; Dr. John Bowman, professor of sociology and criminal justice; Dr. Anthony Curtis, professor of mass communication; Dr. Elizabeth Normandy, director of Center of Teaching and Learning; Dr. Dennis Sigmon, professor of English and theatre; Hannah Simpson, SGA senior representative; David Burns, building environmental service manager of housing; Jackie Clark, vice chancellor of enrollment management; Dr. Veronica Hardy, assistant professor of social work; Dr. Lee Phillips, associate professor of geology and geography; Aubrey Swett, director of the Office of Community and Civic Engagement; and Dr. Mark Kinlaw from Robeson Community College and vice president of instruction and support services.
