After a five-month search, candidates for the next UA provost will soon present to a public audience.

With five anticipated administrative leadership changes in 2020, the past two years hosted the highest rates of turnover since UA President Stuart Bell took office in July 2015. The search to fill the position of executive vice president and provost marks one of three senior leadership changes this year, along with the ongoing searches for vice president for student life and vice president for strategic communications following the departures of Jamie Riley and Linda Bonnin. 

The search committee for the position of executive vice president and provost announced its selection of five finalists in an update provided Monday, April 6, from UA News. A national search was conducted after former executive vice president and provost Kevin Whitaker announced his intent to retire on Sept. 12, 2019. 

The search website states the provost’s responsibilities: 

• Coordinating  faculty, staff, and student activities in defining and implementing the University’s teaching, research and service missions
• Supporting existing faculty and staff governance
• Pursuing and executing strategic academic planning and strategic enrollment management including the direction, growth and review of academic programs
• Approving faculty and academic staff appointments
• Developing academic policy
• Managing the fiscal affairs of the academic enterprise 

Additionally, the provost represents the president in his or her absence.

Each finalist will deliver a presentation to the campus community via Zoom between April 13 and 28 at 4:15 p.m CDT. 

Candidate presentations will be live-streamed and then made available on the provost search website until April 30. Up to 300 viewers will be able to view each live stream. 

• Candidate 1: James T. Dalton, Monday, April 13
• Candidate 2: Susan L. Ganter, Thursday, April 16 
• Candidate 3: Alan T. Dorsey, Monday, April 20  
• Candidate 4: John Buckwalter, Thursday, April 23 
• Candidate 5: Antonio Tillis, Monday, April 27 

Individual candidate profiles, resumes and feedback forms along with links to video presentations are now available to students, staff and faculty on the search website. 

Questions for candidates can be sent in advance to Russell Mumper, chair of the search committee, at [email protected]. 

Feedback forms must be completed April 30 before 5 p.m. CDT; Mumper will accept additional feedback via email.