the provost search and the Role of the provost, August 15, 2013
Dear Marquette Colleagues:
I want to thank all of you who participated in the listening sessions held in June as part of the provost search process. The input that you provided has been valuable to the search committee, the search consultants, and me in creating the Opportunity and Challenge Profile and redefining the provost responsibilities as we move forward.
I have met with the Provost Search Committee, the President’s Cabinet, and the Deans’ Council to share my vision for the role of the provost. Across the higher education landscape there are different models of the provost position, and the responsibilities of the provost have been changing at many institutions. With this in mind, I wanted to share my thoughts with you so that there is clarity about the role of the next provost at Marquette.
I know many of you have been advocating for a stronger provost, and I want to assure you that the next provost will be the clear number two, second only to the president in the leadership structure at Marquette. The vice presidents support the work of the provost. And in the eyes of people both on and off campus, the provost must be seen a strong advocate of our academic enterprise.
In order to be that strong advocate, the provost must be the most important decision maker regarding the budget. Working with me, the provost identifies budgetary priorities in the academic area and fundraising priorities for Marquette. I will be relying on the provost to help provide additional clarity and transparency regarding the budget process. He or she must have the ability to collaborate with diverse constituencies: faculty, deans, students, vice presidents, alums, trustees, and others.
The provost will play a key leadership role in helping to implement the strategic plan. The plan is our guide for the next five to seven years, and the provost will be instrumental in making the goals of the plan a reality.
If you have questions or input regarding the provost search, please contact Dr. John Su, professor of English and chair of the search committee, or go to the Provost search website. Know that the search committee is committed to a transparent and inclusive process as we seek Marquette’s next academic leader.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
Marquette University
Office of
the President
Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., to serve as interim president
The Board of Trustees has chosen Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., to lead Marquette University as interim president. Wild, who served as president of Marquette from 1996 to 2011, will take over for Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who announced on Sept. 20, that after 10 years as a university president at Marquette University and the University of Scranton, he was resigning to pursue other apostolic opportunities.
Father Pilarz will assist Father Wild with the transition, while traveling back and forth to the East coast to care for his ailing father, which he noted in a letter to the Marquette community on Sept. 25. Father Wild is concluding his duties with the Wisconsin Province and will take over as interim president on Oct. 16.
Wild will serve as interim president until August 2014. A new permanent president is expected to be in place for the 2014-15 academic year.
Site menu