WVU President Michael T. Benson announced in a letter to faculty and staff Monday (Aug. 4) the beginning of search efforts for a key position within the University administration — provost and vice president for academic affairs. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)
West Virginia University President Michael T. Benson announced the start of the search for a provost and vice president for academic affairs — the University’s chief academic officer responsible for the administration of all academic policies, programs, facilities and budgetary matters — on Monday (Aug. 4).
The announcement came in the following letter sent to faculty and staff.
Dear Colleagues,
There is no more important hire I will make during my tenure as president than our institution’s provost: the chief WVU academic officer and the person responsible for the educational direction of the University.
Our next provost must lead the way in our efforts to provide our students high-quality education and academic experiences while steadfastly supporting our faculty. We must also look to the future to ensure we are offering programs that interest students while preparing them to succeed in good-paying, high-demand jobs in West Virginia and around the world.
To support our efforts, we have contracted with Greenwood Asher & Associates, a full-service search firm, to help us attract and identify top candidates from across the country.
Evan Widders, associate provost for undergraduate education, and Diana Davis, immediate past Faculty Senate chair, have been selected to co-chair the search. The search committee includes members from the following constituencies: faculty, staff, students, academic deans, the Board of Governors, athletics and regional campuses to ensure we have input from diverse perspectives.
Choosing a provost is a monumental responsibility and should be a collaborative process. Your input is invaluable in helping us shape the qualities, experiences, knowledge, skills and characteristics for this vital position.
There are several ways faculty, staff and students can engage and provide insights. We have developed a survey in collaboration with Greenwood Asher & Associates to help us learn more about the qualifications and expectations you would like to see in our next provost, as well as your aspirations for our students’ academic experience. Please complete the survey by Monday, Aug. 18.
We are also in the process of developing a series of listening sessions to engage members of our community. These sessions will help our search firm recruit and vet candidates based on the qualifications and expectations outlined during these discussions. The schedule will be posted on the provost.wvu.edu website and announced in ENews in the coming days.
I encourage each of you to get involved in the process. Your input and viewpoints are welcomed and valued.
As the work progresses to select our next provost and vice president for academic affairs, I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, you can find the search process timeline at https://provost.wvu.edu/provost-search.
I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer before we kick off an incredible academic year full of renewed energy and excitement.
Let’s Go!
Michael T. Benson
President and Professor of History
West Virginia University
-WVU-
kf/8/4/25
MEDIA CONTACT: Shauna Johnson
Executive Director of Strategic Communications
WVU Strategic Communications and Marketing
304-293-8302;
sjohns13@mail.wvu.edu
Call 1-855-WVU-NEWS for the latest West Virginia University news and information from WVUToday.