The University of Virginia has launched a second search for a new provost after its first shot came up short.
The university announced a 14-member search committee in February, a month before Ian Baucom left Grounds to take the helm of Middlebury College in Vermont.
“UVA embarked on a provost search earlier this year but was not successful in filling the position,” according to a university statement issued last week.
Brie Gertler, previously deputy provost, remains interim provost in the meantime.
Details regarding the first search for Baucom’s replacement have not been made public, and UVa spokeswoman Bethanie Glover would not say when it was called off when The Daily Progress inquired.
Baucom was among a series of high-level departures that have rocked the university this year, including UVa Health CEO Dr. Craig Kent, UVa Medical School Dean Dr. Melina Kibbe and UVa Medical Center CEO Wendy Horton. Since the search for Baucom’s replacement commenced, UVa President Jim Ryan resigned under pressure from the Trump administration over his failure to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion practices, despite direct orders from President Donald Trump and UVa’s governing Board of Visitors to do so.
Paul Mahoney, who has been holding Ryan’s seat on an interim basis while a search for that role gets underway, said the second search for a new provost will likely take place this fall and that he is not worried about the school’s ability to attract candidates.
“I am not concerned about our ability to attract high-quality candidates,” he told a meeting of the Faculty Senate last Friday. “The provost job at University of Virginia is one of the very best jobs in higher education administration in the world. I don’t have the slightest doubt that there are many qualified candidates who would be delighted to apply for the position.”
Some faculty expressed concern that the search for a new president might hamper the search for a new provost.
“The issue is not do people think it’s a really good job; the issue is are you going to create the kind of desirable working relationship between a president and a provost. That is what leads to successful actions in both those positions over time,” one told Mahoney at Friday’s meeting.
Another faculty member suggested that the new president should be selected first, and then they should play a role in the search for a new provost.
“Right now, our president search probably doesn’t look that attractive, but being able to name your own provost and then being able to also help affect the choice of deans makes it more attractive,” they said.
Since he was appointed last month, Mahoney has said stability remains his top priority at UVa. He said a new provost could set the tone.
“I am committed to recruiting and hiring highly qualified leaders to serve the students, faculty and staff at this university,” Mahoney said. “I hope to set the tone with an outstanding hire for the position of provost.”
Like the first, the second provost search committee is composed of 14 members, but only two served in the original February committee: Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson and John Kosky, UVa’s chief human resources officer.
Wilkinson is the only board member on the committee. Other members include faculty members and a single undergraduate student.
The committee is headed by Scott Beardsley, dean of the Darden School of Business, and aided by the university’s Executive Search Group.
Search committee members include:
Beardsley.
Wilkinson.
Kosky.
Peter Abramenko, mathematics professor and member of the Faculty Senate.
Maïté Brandt-Pearce, vice provost for faculty affairs.
Jim Donovan, adjunct law professor and vice chairman of global client coverage at Goldman Sachs.
John Duffy, law professor.
Ken Elzinga, economics professor.
Richard Evans, senior associate dean for research services and support.
Dr. Kristen Greene, urologist and chair of the Department of Urology.
John Owen IV, politics professor.
Zachary Palazzotto, undergraduate student and president of the Engineering Student Council.
Stephanie Rowley, dean of the School of Education and Human Development.
And Douglas Taylor, biology professor and chair of the Department of Biology.
David Velazquez (919) 612-7026
david.velazquez@dailyprogress.com
@velazqdave on X
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