May 8, 2013

Marquette University Provost John Pauly announces plans to return to faculty, step down as provost

Dr. Margaret Faut Callahan, dean of nursing, to serve as interim provost

Marquette University President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced today that after five years as provost, Dr. John Pauly will be returning to the faculty of the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication to pursue his passion for teaching. He will step down as provost at the end of the month.

“John has left his mark on this campus through his leadership and commitment to collaboration with colleagues across the university,” Father Pilarz said. “He was integral to increasing the diversity of the freshman class by 60 percent, reorganizing Marquette's Center for Teaching and Learning to strengthen its support of faculty teaching, and increasing the university’s external research funding.”

Among the accomplishments Father Pilarz cited were Pauly’s advocacy for social entrepreneurship and wellness initiatives, which led to Marquette being named an Ashoka U. Changemaker Campus and receiving a Gold Well Workplace Award. Pauly also helped to launch Marquette’s first start-up company (Promentis), expanded study abroad programs, increased faculty participation in university leadership committees and maintained the high quality of the university’s academic programs while consistently meeting enrollment targets.

Pauly has served as provost since 2008 and has been responsible for academic budgeting and institutional planning, as well as leading the 10 academic deans and the dean of the libraries. Prior to assuming the role of provost in 2008, he was the dean of the College of Communication from 2006 to 2008. Before coming to Marquette, Pauly had been a professor at Saint Louis University for 13 years, including nine as chair of its communication department.

“I appreciate the opportunity both Father Wild and Father Pilarz gave me to be the academic leader of such a fine university,” Pauly said. “I am proud that the initiatives of the last five years have helped Marquette enhance its academic quality and reputation during one of the most challenging economic periods in higher education history.”

Father Pilarz has appointed Dr. Margaret Faut Callahan, dean of the College of Nursing, to serve as interim provost, effective June 1. Callahan has served as dean and professor in the College of Nursing since 2008. During the past five years, she has been involved in many high-level university initiatives, including the Strategic Plan Coordinating Committee, the university-wide Re-Affirmation of Accreditation Steering Committee and the search committee that identified Marquette’s vice president of intercollegiate athletics.

Since arriving at Marquette five years ago, Callahan has led the College of Nursing through a successful reaccreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, completed an aggressive college strategic planning process resulting in a comprehensive revision of the pre-licensure curriculum for undergraduate students, expanded the college’s freshmen class size and implemented a new Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Her commitment to developing the scientific foundations of nursing practice has resulted in a 100-percent increase in scholarly publications by faculty members. In addition, the College of Nursing’s graduate program is ranked in the top 10 percent in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report.

The university plans to undergo a nationwide search with the goal of having a permanent provost in place by July 1, 2014.