Committee will lead national search for next provost at Wright State

A 14-member committee will lead Wright State University’s national search for its next provost.

The university’s goal is to complete the search process in time to allow the next provost to join Wright State on July 1. Thomas Sudkamp, who has served as provost since 2015, will step down June 30.

“This is a critical time for our university to search for the very best chief academic officer,” said President Cheryl B. Schrader. “Our search committee members’ dedication and assistance to finding and securing the best candidate is crucial.”

A forum on the search is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 23, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Student Union Apollo Room.

During the forum, faculty and staff can provide input on what attributes and characteristics they think the next provost should possess.

The forum will be streamed live at wright.edu/streaming. Members of the Lake Campus community can also watch the forum live in 229 Dwyer Hall.

The provost search committee will be chaired by Travis Doom, Faculty Senate president, and Stephanie Green, senior vice president at Fifth Third Bank and a member of the Wright State Board of Trustees.

Committee members are:

• Kimberly Ferguson-Scott, interim associate vice president of student affairs
• Ellen Reinsch Friese, interim vice president for research
• Michael Griest, director of student enrollment services
• Stephen Jacquemin, associate professor in the Lake Campus science and mathematics program
• Joseph Keferl, dean of the College of Education and Human Services
• Holley Mapel, vice president of Student Government
• Shari Mickey-Boggs, associate vice president and chief human resources officer
• Brenda Roman, associate dean for medical education
• Shu Schiller, chair of information systems and supply chain management
• Todd Stewart, director and chancellor of the Air Force Institute of Technology
• Lisa Wellinghoff, senior lecturer of mathematics and statistics
• Jonathan Winkler, chair of history

Committee members will help convey the campus’ needs for a new leader, narrow the candidate pool, and help the right candidate understand why Wright State is the place for their future.

Finalists for the provost position will be invited to campus for interviews before the end of the spring semester. Opportunities will be provided for the campus community to give feedback on these candidates.

The university has contracted with Greenwood/Asher, an executive search firm with extensive experience in higher education, to assist with the search, including recruiting candidates for the provost position. Representatives of the firm will work closely with the search committee.

Members of  Greenwood/Asher will visit Wright State on Feb. 23 to learn more about the university and its needs for the next provost.

“I believe candidates for our chief academic officer position will see this as an exciting time to join us,” Schrader said. “For instance, we are at the beginning stages of our strategic planning process that will guide Wright State University by creating a vision and focus that directly aligns resources with our values, our strengths, and the strategy we build around them. We also have a college realignment activity progressing that demonstrates our desire for change to meet the demands of a new workforce.”

Community members can submit nominations for the provost position and stay up to date on the search at wright.edu/provost-search.