Provost Search

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February 25, 2019

Dear UAlbany Community:

As the co-chairs of the Provost Search Committee shared with you last Friday, the committee has completed its screening interviews and has provided to me a list of four finalists. I am pleased to let you know, we have scheduled campus visits for these finalists.

These events will be held:

• Monday, March 4, 10:00-11:00 a.m. in the Campus Center Assembly Hall
• Tuesday, March 5, 12:45-1:45 p.m. in the Campus Center Assembly Hall
• Monday, March 11, 10:00-11:00 a.m. in the Campus Center Assembly Hall
• Wednesday, March 13, 12:45-1:45 p.m. in the Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room

Each candidate’s identity, application materials, and interview schedule will be posted on the MYUAlbany portal under “Announcements” 48 hours in advance of their visit to campus.

I encourage our campus community to participate in these forums to hear the candidates’ remarks on the following topic: “The Provost’s Role in Addressing the Challenges Facing Public Higher Education Today,” which will cover their specific thoughts on the opportunities outlined in the University’s strategic plan.  After 25 minutes of prepared remarks, candidates will field questions from the audience for the remainder of the hour. Light refreshments will be provided. 

These sessions will be an essential opportunity to assess these finalists’ ability to successfully drive UAlbany’s strategic priorities and advance the academic mission. Your engagement and feedback during this phase of the search is imperative. Feedback provided through the electronic surveys issued after each candidate’s visit will assist me in identifying the best candidate for this critical role.

Thank you in advance for your active participation in this process.

Sincerely,

Havidán Rodríguez
President

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Dear UAlbany Faculty, Staff and Students:

We hope that this message finds your spring semester off to a successful start. We write to you today to provide an update on the next steps in the national search for UAlbany’s next Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.  The search committee has concluded screening interviews and provided its recommendation of finalists to the President. The executive search firm is working to confirm the finalists and conduct additional due diligence while staff is working to finalize campus visit schedules over the two-week period from March 4 – 15. 

Candidates’ identities, application materials, and interview schedule will be posted to the MyUAlbany portal in advance of their campus visit. You will be notified when those materials are available. Your engagement is critical in this phase of the recruitment and selection process. During these campus visits, the candidates will take part in a comprehensive schedule of stakeholder meetings. Included in this schedule will be a public forum that all faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend. The candidates will make a brief presentation and field questions from the audience. An online survey will be available to secure feedback from all who participate in this process.

We thank you in advance for your active participation in this process.

Sincerely,

Lynn A. Warner, Dean and Professor
School of Social Welfare
Search Committee Co-Chair
Email: [email protected]

David Holtgrave, Dean and SUNY Empire Innovation Professor
School of Public Health
Search Committee Co-Chair
Email: [email protected]

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Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Edelgard (Elga) Wulfert, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), has agreed to serve as Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, beginning January 1, 2019.

Across her more than thirty years at the University at Albany, Dr. Wulfert has served multiple roles including faculty member, researcher and scholar, department chair, University Senate chair, co-chair of the President’s Diversity Council, active participant in countless ad hoc committees and study groups, and, for the past decade, CAS dean.

Given her experience and deep engagement, as exemplified by her designation as a Collins Fellow, Dean Wulfert is exceptionally qualified to serve as our chief academic officer during this interim period. She has agreed to serve in this capacity until a permanent provost is installed, and will not be a candidate for permanent provost. Details regarding transition planning within CAS will be forthcoming.

Provost Stellar and Dr. Wulfert will immediately commence discussions and transitionary measures to facilitate a smooth run-up to her January 1, 2019 start date. I very much look forward to working collaboratively with Dr. Wulfert to advance the University’s agenda, including the implementation of our Strategic Plan, and progress toward our vision to be the nation’s leading diverse public research university.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Wulfert on this appointment, and in offering her your support in this critical role.
 

Sincerely,

Havidán Rodríguez
President

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Dear Colleagues:

As you already know, we are embarking on a national search for the University at Albany’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. In the following section, we provide some updates regarding the status of the search process.

After significant feedback and nominations from the University community, I am very pleased to report that the Search Committee has been constituted and that I have appointed two Co-Chairs to take the leadership in this critical process. Dr. Lynn Warner, Dean of the School of Social Welfare, and Dr. David Holtgrave, Dean of the School of Public Health, will Co-Chair the Committee, which is comprised of faculty and professional staff, academic and administrative leaders from a number of schools and colleges and administrative areas, as well as student representatives, as follows:

We have a very strong and diverse committee that represents many stakeholder groups that form part of this great University. The Committee will begin its work later this month with the support of an experienced executive search firm. I will charge the Committee with cultivating a highly competitive and diverse applicant pool, and to complete a confidential screening of candidates as expeditiously as possible.

Staff support for the Search Committee will be provided by JD Hyde, Office of the President, and Dr. Tamra Minor, Assistant Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer. Please know that we will also actively engage the University community throughout this search process.

Questions regarding the search process should be directed to the Committee Co-Chairs or to my Chief of Staff, Dr. Bruce Szelest. Finally, we will share milestones with the campus community through the search website which can be found at https://www.albany.edu/president.

Let’s convey our most sincere appreciation to the Search Committee Co-Chairs and its members for the critically important work they are about to undertake.
 

Sincerely,

Havidán Rodríguez
President

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Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to inform you that Provost James Stellar will step down from the Provost’s role and return to the faculty, commencing January 2019.

Dr. Stellar’s passion for teaching and research is self-evident, as he has maintained ties to our students through research projects and his scholarship over the past three and half years. Therefore, I expect his transition back to the classroom and the research laboratory to be smooth. Please join me in conveying our appreciation to Dr. Stellar for his service and commitment to the University at Albany, his work as interim President during a period of transition, and as co-chair of our Strategic Planning Committee and its Implementation Team.

We will begin preparations to launch a national search for our next Provost immediately. That process will necessitate the active engagement and commitment of our campus community to ensure a successful search, so please stay tuned for further information and new developments.

Again, please join me in thanking Provost Stellar for his service and commitment to our University.

Sincerely,

Havidán Rodríguez
President