Editor's note: On April 19, Justin Schwartz was named chancellor of CU Boulder, effective July 1, 2024.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Justin Schwartz, executive vice president and provost, has been named the sole finalist for chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder. Based on the Colorado open meetings law, any finalist for consideration must be shared publicly at least 14 days prior to formally appointing an individual.
In the weeks ahead, the University will name an interim provost and will also begin a national search for a permanent provost. Once an interim provost is named, Schwartz will transition to a special adviser role and will provide support to the interim and others in the provost’s office.
“We have consistently sought the most talented people to guide Penn State, and Justin Schwartz’s academic leadership has been important to the University and to the steps we have taken over the last many months,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “I thank him for the contributions he has made as our provost and before that as dean of the College of Engineering and I appreciate his enduring focus and support for students, faculty and staff across the commonwealth throughout his time at the University. I am excited for him and for his family on this incredible opportunity and wish him the very best in his new role.”
At Penn State, Schwartz has served as provost since summer 2022 when he was named to the role in an interim capacity prior to being selected for the permanent position. As provost, Schwartz oversees Penn State’s academic units — including colleges and campuses — and major academic support units. He is a member of the University’s executive leadership team and President’s Council, chair of Penn State’s Council of Academic Deans, Provost Leadership Council, and the Academic Leadership Council, and an ex officio member of the University Faculty Senate and Senate Council.
In a message to the University community, Schwartz shared, “Penn State is strong, and is on a path to an even stronger, more sustainable future. I want to thank President Bendapudi for her dynamic leadership of this great institution and express my sincere belief that the path we have worked to navigate together since July 2022 is one that will set up Penn State for generations more of remarkable achievement. I am grateful to President Bendapudi for the opportunity to serve as your provost and for her guidance and the incredible support she has provided me along the way. I will watch proudly as the University continues to reach new heights. Furthermore, through the end of the term, I will continue to support these efforts, President Bendapudi and the entire President’s Council.”
As provost, Schwartz co-led work to enhance student success and grow interdisciplinary research as part of phase one of Bendapudi’s vision and goals process, as well as early efforts of phase two related to Penn State’s next strategic planning process. Along with leading a DEIB agile service team focused on faculty recruitment and retention, Schwartz partnered with the senior vice president for Finance and Business on the development of the new budget allocation model and helped launch the Academic Program and Portfolio Review.
A leader in the interdisciplinary field of applied superconductivity, Schwartz joined Penn State in 2017 as the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean in the College of Engineering. During his tenure as dean, he focused on diversifying the college’s tenure-line faculty ranks; supporting broad efforts to build a more inclusive academic community and equitable engineering workforce; developing a vision for impactful research resulting in an increase in external research awards by more than 50%; establishing research and scholarly collaborations across multiple disciplines; and advancing student success and well-being for all engineering students across the institution.
Schwartz earned a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his doctorate in nuclear engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.