Search to commence for SVP for Academic Affairs and Provost

Dear students and colleagues,

As we reach the end of the fall semester, I am pleased to write with an update on the search for our next Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

Ron Marx has been serving commendably in the interim role, stepping back into it following a short pause over the summer, and I deeply appreciate his willingness to serve our university community. When he took on this position, I promised Dr. Marx that we would work to identify a permanent replacement within the academic year, and this remains my intention. To that end, I have asked Dean David Hahn of the College of Engineering and Dr. Lucinda (Cindy) Rankin of the College of Medicine – Tucson to serve as co-chairs of a search advisory committee that will begin its work immediately.

The 14-member committee includes individuals from a diverse set of roles and a broad range of colleges, divisions, and backgrounds. This group will work with SP&A Executive Search to advertise a position description in early January, identify exceptional candidates, and bring forward the most qualified finalists. Throughout this process, the co-chairs will provide regular updates, and there will be avenues for input and counsel from members of our university community. We will also plan campus visits by finalists, to include meetings with campus leaders and our shared governance partners, as well as public forums. I anticipate these finalists to be identified and the campus visits to take place during the spring semester, and the feedback from you as members of our university community will be critical in the selection process.

I thank Dean Hahn, Professor Rankin, and the members of the search advisory committee for taking on this important work, and I ask that all members of our University of Arizona community engage with this critical search. I am confident we will identify talented candidates and select the best Provost to help lead us into a bright future.

Best wishes, 
Suresh 
 

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