Provost/Chief Academic Officers

The Board of Trustees of St. John's University, with the support of the University’s senior leadership team, has appointed Dr. Simon Møller to serve as Provost and VPAA effective July 1, 2019.  Dr. Møller has been serving in this position in an interim capacity since July 1st of last year.  As interim Provost, he has been an exemplary partner and collegial member of the University’s senior leadership team. He is a distinguished and internationally known expert on neurodegenerative diseases particularly in the neuroscience of Parkinson’s disease.  While serving as interim Provost, he has continued to publish in highly respected journals and supervise an active research lab.  Dr. Møller has received international recognition for his contribution to the sciences and is an elected member of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Technology.

Schreiner University has announced the selection of Dr. Travis Frampton as its new Provost – or chief academic officer - and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Frampton will begin as Provost for Schreiner University on July 1st, 2019.  Dr. Frampton comes to Schreiner University from Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) in Abilene, TX, where he was Vice President for University Mission and Strategic Vision and Professor of Religion.  Dr. Frampton’s credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Samford University, a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale University, and a dual Ph.D. with a major in Philosophy from Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands and a major in Religion from Baylor University.  Read more here.

St. Joseph’s College has appointed Robert Riley, Ph.D., currently vice provost for academic affairs at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, as St. Joseph’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs. On July 1, Dr. Riley will assume the duties of the College’s chief academic officer. Responsible for strengthening an academic and value-oriented educational program, he will divide his time between SJC Long Island and SJC Brooklyn, and serve as a member of the president’s cabinet.  Read more here.

Lebanon Valley College has selected Dr. Monica Cowart as their new vice president of academic affairs effective July 1, 2019.  Dr. Cowart is currently the vice provost at Merrimack College and will bring with her to campus extensive leadership experience with graduate and online education, enrollment management, assessment, strategic planning, global education, honors programming, budgeting, faculty hiring, and fundraising. She has spent nearly 20 years at Merrimack, where she rose from professor to department chair, associate dean, and vice provost. During that time, Merrimack has grown from an enrollment of 2,500 to more than 4,500. Last year, Dr. Cowart was named a fellow of the American Council on Education (ACE). Dr. Cowart received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy with research honors from Illinois Wesleyan University, a graduate certificate in women’s studies from the University of Georgia, and a master’s in counseling psychology from Lesley University. She completed her doctorate in the philosophy of psychology with a dissertation on embodied cognition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joins LVC with tenure and full professorship status. For more information: https://www.lvc.edu/news/details/dr-monica-cowart-named-next-vice-president-of-academic-affairs/

Baylor University has named Nancy W. Brickhouse, Ph.D., as provost following a national search to help lead the institution toward its goal of becoming the next preeminent Christian research university.

The University of the District of Columbia Board of Trustees recently approved the appointment of Dr. Lawrence T. Potter, Jr., as UDC's Chief Academic Officer, effective February 1, 2019. Dr. Potter currently serves as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of La Verne. Prior to his work at the University of La Verne, he served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Jackson State University. He has also held leadership positions at Allegheny College, the University of St. Thomas, and Western Michigan University. Dr. Potter earned a B.A. in English, Religion, and Philosophy from Stillman College, and he received an M.A. and Ph.D. in English - Literature and Criticism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The University of Minnesota Crookston search committee has placed Dr. John Hoffman as the vice chancellor for academic and student affairs of the university, scheduled to begin July 30, 2018. Dr. Hoffman comes from California State University, Fullerton, where he has served as chair of the Department of Education Leadership since 2013 and as director of the Doctor of Educational Leadership Program since 2012.

Marshall University President Jerome A. Gilbert today announced that Dr. Jaime (pronounced “Hi-meh”) R. Taylor, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Austin Peay State University, has been named Marshall’s next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Taylor’s appointment is effective July 1.

Read more here

Graceland University has selected Dr. Jill Rhea as their new Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty. Dr. Rhea is currently the Dean of Online, Site and Graduate Programs along with a Professor of Communication Studies for Buena Vista University.

The Saint Xavier University search committee has appointed Dr. James M. MacLaren as the new provost of the university. Dr. MacLaren serves as the Dean of Newcomb-Tulane College at Tulane University.