The search for a new provost continues to be a high priority objective at RPI since President Shirley Ann Jackson established a core recruitment committee last December. Former Provost G.P. “Bud” Peterson, who had served the position for five years, left to take a position as Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder last summer and Robert Palazzo has filled in since that time as the acting provost.
The Core Recruitment Committee is made up of sixteen representatives from the administration, faculty, and student body, and has met several times since its initial launch. In that time, the committee has drafted an advertisement for the position, created a position statement, and developed criteria to evaluate potential candidates. Members have also been briefed about effective interview etiquette by the Institute’s Division of Human Resources.
The provost reports directly to Jackson, in addition to being an officer of the Institute and a member of the President’s cabinet. The provost is responsible for the conduct, coordination, and quality of all Rensselaer’s academic portfolios. The position also requires building on RPI’s current strengths by continuing to develop the quality and depth of its faculty, as well as maintaining and strengthening undergraduate and graduate education.
In a letter to the faculty from Search Committee Chair Eddie Ade Knowles and Search Committee Co-Chair Robert Linhardt, the committee told faculty, “attracting the highest quality individuals will require the help of the entire Rensselaer community,” and that their input is “especially valuable.” Although the core committee will have the principal responsibility of appointing the new provost, it would like to take the faculty’s opinion under heavy consideration.
A list of qualities that the Core Committee is looking for in candidates has been given to the RPI faculty. The list includes having “outstanding” scholarly achievements with the qualifications for the rank of full professor; substantive knowledge of funding streams; an understanding of a top-tier research university and of how research at a national research university informs and enhances undergraduate education; experience in influencing federal or corporate research and development direction; the ability to attract, mentor, advocate for, and retain top-flight junior and senior personnel; and an overall shared vision with President Jackson.
RPI has retained the services of a national executive search firm, Isaacson Miller, to aid in the recruitment process. The letter sent out requested that all faculty inquiries, nominations, and applications be sent directly to the firm by April 1, though no exact deadline has been set.
In an effort to reach a larger audience for a potential candidate pool, the announcement has been posted online, in several national print publications, and with several science, humanities, and other academic organizations.
Interviewing for the position is planned to begin early this month, and selected candidates will be invited to participate in a series of on-campus interviews with several subcommittees representing a cross-section of the RPI community.
The anticipated start date for the provost position is July 1, 2007 and the committee is working to meet that deadline. In the letter, the committee wanted to press that they “want to make sure we all work together in finding the ideal candidate.”
The letter continued, “This individual will continue Rensselaer’s heritage of closely linking theory to practice in ways that enrich students, faculty, staff, and broader regional, national, and global communities.”
