February 3, 2005
Provost search team welcomes comments, nominations
What sort of person should the UW hire as its next Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs? A search committee of faculty, staff and students is posing that question of the University community, and looking for nominations, too.
If a meeting Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the Walker-Ames Room of Kane Hall is any indication of campuswide sentiments — and it may be — many wish the next provost to be an effective administrator and good listener who understands the classroom experience, promotes shared governance and diversity in hiring, advocates for staff as well as faculty and who can think creatively about the University’s short- and long-term future.
The Search Advisory Committee on the Provost, headed by Tom Daniel, chair of the Biology Department, has conducted meetings at UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, Health Sciences and in Kane Hall. And though those four meetings are past, Daniel said the committee wants to keep hearing suggestions and comments from throughout the UW.
The University has contracted with the Georgia-based search firm Baker Parker to help in the process, Daniel said. But he reminded the session participants, “It is never too late to nominate — the only time it’s too late is when the person signs, and is here.”
He said when the committee picks its short list of four finalists, those names will be made public. The committee, he said, hopes to identify the top candidates and make its selection by the end of the academic year.
About two dozen people attended the Kane Hall session, including several members of the search committee itself. They shared views in random fashion, with comments by one often sparking praise or support from others.
David Fenner, assistant vice provost for International Education, reflected on an article he read recently about five peak experiences that affected the world view of President John F. Kennedy. Four of these took place abroad, such as Kennedy’s war experiences in the Pacific in 1943 and witnessing post-war Berlin in 1945. Fenner suggested the new provost have “at her or his core, such an internationally, globally significant experience.”
Fenner used a pair of graphics to show how the red tape foreign students face in trying to come to the UW has increased in recent years. “Students go through a virtual Burma Road to get approval to apply for a visa” after which the UW must apply to the federal government for permission to allow that student to attend, he said. Fenner suggested the provost hired should be “someone who will help the institution countervail against the complexity of this process.”
Sarah Nash Gates, professor and executive director of the School of Drama, offered David Hodge, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as an example of an administrator who communicates well and promotes “a wonderful culture of respect of the different communities and disciplines, and a willingness to have us be self-determining to a certain degree.” Gates also stressed the importance of diversity, saying it would be hard for people to believe the UW supports “people of color, and to a certain extent, women” unless more such individuals are hired in important positions.
Paul Hopkins, professor and chairman of the Chemistry Department, voiced several concerns about the University as his comments led to suggestions of talents and background that would be good to see in the new provost. “Something has gone very, very wrong at the University,” Hopkins said. “We have a dysfunctional compensation system.” He said some faculty also have “lost faith in our administration to chart a course for success.”
Stressing that the new provost should be experienced in undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral education, Hopkins said, “It’d be nice to have a provost who has spent some time in front of freshmen.” He said the new provost should be fueled by a desire for excellence, have a record of timely decision-making — “We can’t just study problems to death” — and also understand that the University exists and competes in a global market, not a vacuum.
Among other suggestions were that the new provost should:
- see to the needs and morale of classified staff as well as professional staff and faculty;
- help reduce the administrative processes that slow research;
- recognize the different constituencies that make up the University, and their varying needs;
- understand that ongoing change is central to an institution’s health, and
- know the higher education system in Washington State and the University’s place in its neighborhood, city, state and region.
Tasha Taylor, assistant to the secretary of the faculty in the Faculty Senate Office, said the new provost should have a strong record in shared governance, an idea stressed in this year’s Faculty Senate. Taylor added, “It’s important to have a provost who is a bit of a futurist, and who has a vision — someone who’s willing to look beyond the way we are.”
As the session came to a close, Daniel reminded the participants, “This conversation need not stop,” and encouraged comments and nominations of eligible people to the committee’s e-mail address.
Express your views, or make a nomination: You can communicate with the Search Advisory Committee on the Provost by e-mailing uwsearch@u.washington.edu.
