Resumption of Search and Call for Nominations for Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
In October 2019, as you may recall, I announced that we would be launching a search early the following year for the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs at Boston University. As with so many other endeavors in 2020, the onset of the COVID pandemic altered our plans, and we postponed the search while the University focused its energies on managing the health crisis. We are now ready to resume our search for this key leadership position.
Before sharing the details of the search, I want to first extend special gratitude to Suzanne Kennedy, who has performed exemplary work in the role of Associate Provost ad interim for Undergraduate Affairs since January 2020. No one, of course, could have predicted the circumstance Sue would find herself navigating in the months following her appointment, particularly in the rapid shift from in-person to remote learning. She has excelled in her role, providing tremendous leadership throughout the COVID-19 recovery effort, including chairing the Undergraduate Programs Working Group, ensuring the continued implementation of important, timely policies, and leading the development of the Learn from Anywhere model.
We are grateful for Sue’s indefatigable, committed service and are delighted that she will remain on as Associate Provost ad interim through the end the 2020-2021 academic year as we prepare for what we hope will be a return to residential, in-person education in the fall semester. Once she concludes this interim role, Sue will continue to serve in an important leadership position in the Office of the Provost, with responsibility for a variety of emerging, strategic University-wide projects.
In the meantime, over the coming weeks, I will consult broadly across the University to identify a permanent Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs. This person will ideally begin their service in summer 2021. The Associate Provost provides central leadership on undergraduate academic efforts, working closely with the schools and colleges to promote collaboration and strengthen the undergraduate experience. The Associate Provost also oversees the BU Hub, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, the Kilachand Honors College, and, in collaboration with the Associate Provost for Digital Learning & Innovation, the Center for Teaching & Learning. The Associate Provost reports to the Provost and is a member of the Provost’s Cabinet.
If you would like to nominate an individual to be considered for this position or would like to be considered yourself, please send a nomination or expression of interest via email to me at provost@bu.edu. Alternatively, please send nominations or letters of interest in writing to me at the Office of the Provost. Please mark the envelope ‘Confidential’ if you would like your correspondence to be held in confidence. While nominations of individuals who are external to BU are welcome, there is a strong preference for internal candidates. Candidates must hold a faculty appointment to be considered for this role, preferably at the Full Professor level. I ask that any nominations please be submitted by May 1, 2021. I want to thank you, in advance, for your assistance with this process and for your outstanding contributions over this past year upholding and elevating Boston University’s standard of excellence in teaching and learning.