Faculty, staff, and students are invited to participate in forums during the next two weeks to meet the three finalists for vice provost for faculty affairs.
The candidates are John Zomchick, executive associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of English; Dixie Thompson, professor and head of the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies; and Jay Whelan, professor and head of the Department of Nutrition.
The forum schedule is:
- Monday, April 23 — Zomchick, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the University Center Shiloh Room.
- Tuesday, April 24 —Thompson, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in Hodges Library Auditorium.
- Monday, April 30 — Whelan, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the University Center Shiloh Room.
Candidates will speak about their vision for improving the university’s ability to recruit, mentor, and retain stellar faculty.
To view each candidate’s CV, visit the Office of the Provost website.
The vice provost for faculty affairs works closely with the provost on promotion and tenure decisions and makes recommendations to the provost on personnel issues not resolved at the college level. Responsibilities also include management of the annual faculty evaluation and retention process, cumulative reviews, leadership training, professional development of tenure-line and non-tenure-line faculty, the faculty hiring process, coordination of opportunity hires, new faculty orientation, and working with the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate to update and revise the Faculty Handbook and the Manual for Faculty Evaluation.
Sarah Gardial, the current vice provost for faculty affairs, is leaving in June to become dean of the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa.
Sally McMillan, vice provost for academic affairs, is chair of the search committee. Committee members are Vince Anfara, president of the UT Faculty Senate and head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies; Kirsten Benson, adjunct assistant professor of English and interim director of the first-year composition program; George Dodds, acting assistant dean for academic affairs and research and chair of the Graduate Architecture Program; Steve Escar Smith, dean of Libraries; Marvelene Moore, professor of music education; and Pia Wood, associate provost and director of the Center for International Education.