UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has initiated a national search for its next executive vice president and provost. As the University’s chief academic officer, reporting directly to President Neeli Bendapudi, the provost works with deans, chancellors, faculty, and staff across the University and helps set and lead academic priorities, uphold research and teaching excellence, support access and affordability, and advance the land-grant mission. 

A leader in academics, research and innovation, Penn State is in the midst of transforming the University’s future, rooted in a commitment to delivering the highest value to students, and to creating an environment that provides opportunities for growth and empowerment for all faculty and staff. The next provost will be integral in guiding these efforts.

“The search for our next provost is pivotal for our University, as this individual will be the champion of our academic mission,” said Bendapudi. “With a vibrant community of students, faculty, staff and alumni spanning our commonwealth and globally, Penn State continues to be a leader in higher education, ranking among the top institutions in the world in research and academics. The next provost will serve as a visionary leader with an enduring commitment to the University’s mission and the students we educate.”

The search will begin immediately to fill this critical position. An internal search committee has been established to select the ideal candidate, with the recruiting firm WittKieffer assisting to curate an excellent pool of talent.

The committee will be comprised of faculty, staff and students from across Penn State’s campuses and chaired by Michael Wade Smith, senior vice president and chief of staff, and Marie Hardin, dean of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.

Additional members of the search committee include: 

• Kathy Bieschke, senior vice provost
• Dan Cahoy, professor and department head of risk management
• Shariffah Sheik Dawood, program chair and associate teaching professor of psychology at Penn State Behrend
• Margo DelliCarpini, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor
• Taléa Drummer-Ferrell, associate vice president for Student Affairs
• Elizabeth Fegert, chair of the University Staff Advisory Council and business consultant in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization
• Seth Hojnacki, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Association
• Karen Keifer-Boyd, professor of art education and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies
• Jennifer Kraschnewski, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Medicine and director of the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute
• Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts and professor of African American Studies
• Sandeep Prabhu, department head of veterinary and biomedical sciences and professor of immunology and molecular toxicology
• Clive Randall, director of the Penn State Materials Research Institute, Evan Pugh University Professor and distinguished professor of materials science and engineering
• Zion Sykes, president of the University Park Undergraduate Association
• Virginia Teachey, associate vice president for Budget and Finance
• Mark Theiss, assistant vice president for University Development
• Josh Wede, chair of University Faculty Senate and teaching professor of psychology
• Erica Willis, program director for the Penn State Center for Academic and Career Excellence at Penn State Greater Allegheny
• Liz Wright, regional chancellor at Penn State Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton

Penn State’s executive vice president and provost oversees all the University’s academic units, including colleges and campuses, and major academic support units such as University Libraries and Student Affairs, among others. The provost serves on the President’s Council, chairs Penn State’s Council of Academic Deans and the Academic Leadership Council, and serves as an ex-officio member of the University Faculty Senate and Senate Council. 

The provost will also lead efforts to enhance student success and support the introduction, growth and assessment of the academic portfolio and programs that are aligned with student and market demand, create stable enrollments, foster strategic growth, and connect with the University’s mission and goals.

In addition, this person will help steer the ongoing strategic planning process to transform the educational experience for students, cultivate a welcoming community where everyone feels proud to be a Penn Stater, embolden the University’s world-class research, champion health care, and deliver on the promise of the land-grant mission.

The provost will also pioneer innovative programs focusing on inclusive excellence for the University, with special attention given to the recruitment, retention, advancement, and sense of belonging of students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups.

Interested candidates should confidentially submit — in electronic format (Adobe PDF files preferred) — a curriculum vitae and letter of interest to: PennStateEVPProvost@WittKieffer.com.