As Northern Vermont University unification processes continue, a provost search committee has been created to review applications for the new position.

 
Greg Petrics, committee co-chair and assistant professor in the mathematics department at Johnson State College, said that a national search to fill the position began in December 2016.

 
“Numerous strong applications were received from around the nation,” said Petrics. “The search committee was very excited about the pool after reviewing applications in January and conducting phone interviews in early February.”

 
A provost will serve as the chief academic officer of Northern Vermont University and the second ranking officer in the administrative hierarchy of the new institution. As provost, this person will act to ensure the quality and administration of the academic programs, and to plan, implement, manage and supervise all academic programs and personnel in compliance with Vermont State College Board of Trustees’ policies and procedures.

 
JSC President Elaine Collins said that the overall importance of the provost will be to provide the intellectual leadership for the faculty of NVU and to insure the quality of the students’ education.

 
Petrics said that they are currently working on finalizing the details to bring four finalists to the Johnson and Lyndon campuses for interviews. “The interviews will span two days, one day on each campus, with time set aside for several open meetings with different campus community members.” said Petrics.

 
The four finalists selected by the NVU Provost Search Committee are Dr. Elizabeth Mauch, dean of the college of education at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania; Dr. Cheryl Torsney, professor of English at the University of Texas, El Paso; Dr. Donna Heald, associate provost and professor of chemistry at The Sage Colleges in Albany and Troy New York; and Dr. Nolan Atkins, interim president and professor of atmospheric sciences and Lyndon State College.

 
Mauch will be visiting JSC on March 13 and LSC on March 14. Torsney will visit LSC on March 20 and JSC on March 21. Heald will be at JSC on March 23 and LSC on March. 24. Atkins will be at LSC on March 27 and JSC March 28.

 
Along with visiting JSC and LSC student, staff and faculty, the finalists will deliver community colloquiums at both campuses that will be open to the entire NVU community.

 
Collins noted that the position will be critical for NVU and that it can be looked at as a position that runs parallel with a vice president at a university. “In the past each campus’s academic dean has carried out the tasks the provost will be assigned to,” said Collins. “Given the complexity of moving into two campus environments, I think we need to have a provost to oversee the work in a different way.”

 
As Collins has made her home here at Johnson, the new provost position will be based at the Lyndon campus. Collins says that they will have split schedules and that they are going to be driving back and forth from each campus.

 
The NVU provost search committee is made up of members from both the JSC and LSC communities. The JSC representatives are Jim Black, professor and chair in the business and economics department; Sara Kinerson, director of advising at the advising and registration center; Hannah Miller, assistant professor in the education department; and student representative Donell Shaw.

With the search committee well at work, the anticipated starting date for the new position will be in July 2017, as this is when President Collins will assume the presidency of Northern Vermont University.