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Leadership search: Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs

Tricia Serio named provost at the University of Washington

UW President Ana Mari Cauce announced the selection of Tricia Serio as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Pending approval by the Board of Regents, the appointment is effective Aug. 1. A first-generation college graduate, Serio is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. She currently serves as provost at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

News release
President’s Message

Overview

The University of Washington launched a national search for the next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs who will serve as the University’s academic and budget officer, with the goal of welcoming a new provost during the summer of 2023, prior to the start of the 2023-24 academic year.

President Ana Mari Cauce has appointed Mary Lidstrom, professor emeritus of Chemical Engineering & Microbiology, and Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, to lead a search committee of faculty, staff and students from across the UW’s three campuses. President Cauce asked the committee to seek candidates who value our tradition of shared governance and who share our commitment to creating a community that is equitable and inclusive – values that are requirements for world-changing scholarship, discovery, innovation and teaching. Finalists for the position visited campus to meet with members of our community and talk about their vision.

Search advisory committee

Provost Advisory Search Committee on the University of Washington Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

  • Mary Lidstrom (Co-Chair), Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering & Microbiology
  • Ed Taylor (Co-Chair), Vice Provost and Dean, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and Professor of Education
  • A.J. Balatico, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, President
  • Butch de Castro, Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, School of Nursing
  • Kristin Esterberg, Chancellor, UW Bothell
  • Mary Gresch, Senior Vice President, University Advancement
  • Dan Grossman, Professor and Vice Director, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering
  • Rickey Hall, Vice President for Minority Affairs and Diversity, and University Diversity Officer
  • Sarah Norris Hall, Vice Provost, Planning and Budgeting
  • Andrew Harris, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UW Tacoma
  • Princess Imoukhuede, Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair and Professor of Bioengineering
  • Joe Janes, Associate Professor, Information School
  • Dawn A. Matsumoto, Professor of Accounting, Foster School of Business
  • Gautham Reddy, Faculty Senate Chair, and Professor of Radiology, UW School of Medicine
  • Brian Reed, Divisional Dean of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, Milliman Endowed Chair in the Humanities, and Professor of English
  • Julie Reid, Vice Dean, Administration and Finance, UW School of Medicine
  • Isabeau Rosen, Associated Students of the UW Bothell, President

Charge letter

Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs (PDF)

Updates from the provost search committee

Provost search update and candidate presentations

Friday, April 14, 2023

Dear UW community,

We are writing with an update on the national search for the UW’s next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. Candidates have been identified to visit the University for interviews and public presentations in the next two weeks.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to watch presentations by each finalist, where the candidates will discuss their leadership style, their approach to the position and their perspectives on opportunities and challenges at the UW and in higher education at large. We encourage you to attend in person or via streaming, which will be available on the search committee website.

Information about each candidate will be posted to the search committee website approximately 48 hours prior to a candidate’s arrival.

Sincerely,

Mary Lidstrom
Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering & Microbiology

Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Professor of Education

Provost leadership profile

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023

Dear UW community,

We are writing with an update on the national search for the UW’s next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. Thank you to everyone who submitted feedback on this leadership position through last month’s survey. Survey input, along with input gathered from ongoing tri-campus listening sessions and the search committee, has been synthesized into the position profile, which is now posted.

We encourage you to share the posting with potential candidates and continue to send nominations to provostsearch@uw.edu. Over the next month, the search committee will review resumes and narrow the candidate pool with the goal of hosting interviews in mid- to late-April.

As search committee co-chairs, we will continue to send updates as the search progresses. We thank you for your continued engagement as we assist President Cauce in selecting the University’s next Provost.

Mary Lidstrom
Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering & Microbiology

Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Professor of Education

Provost search survey

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023

Dear colleagues,

In November, President Cauce launched a national search to find the University of Washington’s next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. As the University’s academic and budget officer, this leader’s work touches all aspects of university life.

The search is in its early stages, and the search committee is asking for your input as we move forward. We hope you will take a moment to fill out a short survey we’ve developed in partnership with our search consultants, SP&A Executive Search.

If you have additional comments or would like to submit a formal nomination for the position, we also welcome your feedback at provostsearch@uw.edu.

As search committee co-chairs, we will provide periodic updates as the search process proceeds, including an opportunity to hear from selected finalists. We look forward to partnering with you as we assist President Cauce to find our new provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

Sincerely,

Mary Lidstrom
Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering & Microbiology

Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Professor of Education