Students and faculty discuss vision for next provost at hearing on Jan. 16
WSU Provost Daniel Bernardo will step down at the end of this school year with the intent to “direct more of my time and energy to my own health and well-being.” A board dedicated to selecting a new provost asked students, faculty and staff in a hearing on Jan. 16 at WSU Vancouver what they are looking for when replacing Bernardo.
A provost is a senior administrative officer in certain colleges and universities. According to the WSU Office of the Provost, the duties of WSU’s provost include “serving as the senior academic officer for the university and has responsibility for academic planning; budgeting; diversity programs, international programs, enrollment management, and recruitment and retention of faculty, staff and students.”
The selection board hosted the event as a way of gathering information from Vancouver campus stakeholders. WSU Vancouver Chancellor Mel Netzhammer and vice president for academic outreach and innovation, Dave Cillay, led the campus discussion.
Bernardo, who has served as provost for “more than five years” according to WSU President Kirk Schulz, will step down once a replacement is hired.
According to Cillay, WSU is planning on hiring a provost that is not already directly linked to the university. During the discussion at WSU Vancouver, faculty and staff expressed concern with a new provost having no experience working in a system campus.
According to Netzhammer, a “system campus” is a college or university that has multiple campuses. “Kirk [Schultz] has a clear vision of what our system looks like. They [the new provost] should have system experience,” Netzhammer said.
Kenia Garnica, a junior strategic communication major who attended the discussion said, “I am looking for a provost who will put students and their success first.”
With regards to the hiring process, Cillay said, “There will be a review of the applications in March, interviews in April and there will be an offer made in May.” Until then, there will be similar discussions held across other WSU campuses.
Further requests may be submitted at https://provostsearch.wsu.edu/feedback/.
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