Angie Gangi
Staff Writer

Robert Neher, a professor of biology and chair of the natural sciences division in the college of arts and sciences, is the newly appointed interim provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Neher accepted the post from President Stephen Morgan after Richard McDowell, the former provost, left the position on June 30.
As the title suggests, the interim position is a temporary arrangement for Neher.

President Morgan has formed a committee to search for the permanent replacement provost.

The Academic Administrative Council consists of the academic deans, administrative deans, associate vice president of regional campuses, vice presidents and the president.

“The main thing we’re looking for in candidates is somebody who can unify the entire University and all the colleges around a single academic vision,” committee member and Dean of the College of Business and Public Management Gordon Badovick said.

To communicate clearly and coordinate the search efforts, the committee will meet with Neher on a regularly scheduled basis beginning today.

“We want to make sure we have a complete group of candidates who represent minority candidates, women candidates, as well as others who are qualified for the position,” Associate Dean of the College of Business and fellow committee member Rita Thakur said.

The search is expected to take at least six months because it will be a nationwide search with many steps to cover along the way. The applications, recommendations and nominations will be accepted and reviewed. As the top eight to 10 candidates are sifted from the rest, the telephone interviews will begin.

“After we narrow it down to three or four finalists, we would then bring them on campus to have extensive interviews with the whole campus community,” Badovick said.

Along with the shared desire to have a diverse group of candidates, each committee member has specific qualities in mind for their ideal provost.

“You want a provost who is student-centered and focuses on the best interests of the students in terms of the classrooms, the subjects that are being taught and the quality of the teaching,” committee member and Chief Human Resources Officer Frank Montalvo said.

“It all translates into success for the students to go on to graduate schools or to start their professional careers.”

Although ULV students may not have direct input on the search for the next provost and vice president for academic affairs, they can rest assured that they have friends on the inside working with their interests in mind.

“The students always come first for us,” Thakur said. “We’re going to try to find a provost the students would be proud of.”

Angie Gangi can be reached at agangi@ulv.edu.