Invitation to Submit Nominations for Interim Provost

Dear Colleagues, 

Given the upcoming departure of Provost Soboyejo, we now will focus on identifying an Interim Provost. Over the last few days, we have consulted with several groups— including faculty governance leadership, academic and administrative leadership, and academic staff—regarding key priorities for an Interim Provost, and qualities and skills needed to succeed in the role. WPI is fortunate to have a number of colleagues who may be qualified for and interested in serving in this important interim role.

The inputs we received are well aligned, and below is a summary.

Key characteristics of the Interim Provost:

• Highly committed to WPI and knowledgeable about WPI campus and policies;
• Student-centric;
• Deeply committed to DEIB and the wellbeing of WPI students, faculty and staff;
• Has the respect and confidence of WPI faculty and staff;
• Understands faculty governance policies and practices and their importance;
• Empathetic, communicative leadership style that seeks input;
• Supportive leader who recognizes skills and contributions of academic affairs staff;
• Collaborative, boundary-spanning partner across all areas of the campus able to advance the academic mission;
• Exceptional budget acumen and a commitment to operational excellence; and
• Creative and innovative problem solver who is prepared to make and implement decisions.

Key priorities of the Interim Provost:

• Bring the academic community together, and accelerate energy and momentum to advance our strategic priorities across undergraduate and graduate education and research; 
• Build partnerships that increase access to our WPI education;  
• Lead efforts to further student retention, success, and learning experience; and 
• Support efforts to build institutional visibility and continue to grow WPI’s reputation.

We are grateful for the thoughtful input we have received to date. With these characteristics and priorities as a guide, I now ask for your nominations.

If you would like to recommend someone to be considered as the Interim Provost, please share your nominations here, including a very brief (a few sentences only) rationale for your nomination. Please submit your nominations by 5 pm Friday, September 22.

Once nominations are submitted, we will carefully consider the nominees and the alignment of their experience with the needs of the interim role. After review, we will engage several nominees, as deemed appropriate, for consideration, and select the Interim Provost. I intend to announce the Interim Provost to the community by Monday, October 2.

Thank you for your engagement in this important process. We look forward to receiving your nominations. 

Sincerely,

Grace