Appointment of Kenneth Freeman as Interim Vice President and Associate Provost for Online Programs At-Scale; Formation of Search Committee for Permanent Vice President and Associate Provost
From Dr. Robert A. Brown, University President
and Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Boston University’s continued growth as a leading private research institution will rely on our ability to provide outstanding undergraduate and graduate education that advances innovative instruction and expands our reach and access to new audiences of learners around the world. As part of our 2030 Strategic Plan, the development of a select number of “online at-scale” graduate programs will be an important University-wide focus, requiring dedicated leadership and resources to create a new online programs unit that will support the development, production, recruitment for and delivery of these programs, and operate in collaboration with our schools and colleges. Toward that end, we write to announce the appointment of Kenneth Freeman, dean emeritus and professor of the practice, Questrom School of Business, as interim vice president and associate provost for online programs at-scale.
In this role as interim vice president and associate provost, Dean Freeman will lead the early efforts to establish BU’s new online program unit, including defining and implementing an organizational structure to support the University’s online at-scale goals and facilitating early-stage development of the online Master of Public Health for delivery by January 2023. He will also lead a national search for a permanent leader of the online program unit, chairing a search committee that will begin its work immediately.
The search committee, whose membership is listed below, comprises leaders with expertise in technology, pedagogy, digital learning, global development, public health, graduate enrollment, and business education. Given this new role’s importance to the University’s mission and future growth, this will be a national-level search that will consider external applications, as well as qualified candidates from within the BU community. Dean Freeman will serve as interim vice president and associate provost until the search for the permanent leader is complete and the new leader is on board.
Dean Freeman has been among our most respected and effective leaders during his more than 10 years at BU, initially overseeing the Questrom School and serving as Allen Questrom Professor from 2010-2018 – a tenure that saw transformative growth in enrollment and in the school’s reputation as an innovator in the rapidly changing landscape of business education. Dean Freeman most recently served as interim vice president for human resources from April 2020 to August 2021, providing steady, thoughtful leadership of that office at a critical time for the University.
We are grateful to Dean Freeman for his willingness to step into this interim position during an exciting time of growth and innovation for Boston University. We also thank the members of the search committee for their time, energy, and thoughtfulness as they approach this important task and look forward to providing updates on progress in the coming months.
Search Committee for the Vice President and Associate Provost for Online Programs At-Scale
Chair:
Kenneth Freeman, Interim Vice President and Associate Provost for Online Programs At-Scale; Dean Emeritus and Professor of the Practice, Questrom School of Business
Members:
Paul Carlile, Senior Associate Dean for Online Learning; Professor of Information Systems, Questrom School of Business
David Chard, Dean, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
David Cotter, Assistant Provost for Graduate Enrollment Management & Master’s and Professional Student Support
Sandro Galea, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, School of Public Health
Suzanne Kennedy, Associate Provost for Special Projects & Emerging Priorities
Janet O’Brien, Senior Vice President for Applications and Enterprise Services, Information Services & Technology
Romy Ruukel, Director of Digital Learning Initiatives, Digital Learning & Innovation
Willis G. Wang, Vice President and Associate Provost for Global Programs