URBANA — Four finalists have emerged to fill the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s vacancy for provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Chancellor Robert Jones announced the candidates and their visiting schedules Wednesday afternoon. All four are current deans or provosts of universities in the United States; they will each present in meetings open to UI students, faculty and staff at Levis Faculty Center, Room 300.
“As I said when we launched this search, our overriding goal is to find the best candidate for our university’s future growth and success,” Jones wrote. “Your participation in the search process is critical, and I encourage your attendance at these presentations.”
- Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, dean of the School of Education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 2016, will present Jan. 23. Abd-El-Khalick is the only candidate who previously worked at the UI: He taught in the College of Education from 2000 onward and was its associate dean for research and research education from 2016 to 2016. He obtained his Ph.D. in science education at Oregon State University in 1998.
Chimay Anumba, dean of the College of Design, Construction and Planning at University of Florida since 2016, will present on Jan. 30. Anumba obtained his Ph.D. in civil engineering at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. Anumba is editor-in-chief of the Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management journal, co-editor of the Journal of Information Technology in Construction and specialty editor of the ASCE Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering.
John Coleman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at University of Minnesota since 2014, will present on Feb. 2. Coleman obtained his doctorate in political science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. He has authored or edited seven books on American politics and government.
Carol Fierke, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Brandeis University since 2021, will present on Feb. 13. Fierke obtained her doctorate in biochemistry at Brandeis in 1984. She previously served as provost and executive vice president of Texas A&M University.
The finalists have been asked to address two questions: “What is your vision for the role of a public research university in the decades ahead? As Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, how would you identify and address the biggest challenges and opportunities?”
The finalists’ presentations will be recorded and posted online after their visits.
The UI’s four-year Provost Andreas Cangellaris announced his departure from the university in June 2022. Former Executive Vice Provost Bill Bernhard stepped into the role on an interim basis in August.
Gies College of Business Dean Jeffrey Brown is chairing the search committee, assisted by executive search firm Isaacson Miller.
