April 21, 2009 -- Provost Appointment

Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Catherine Riordan has agreed to serve our university as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.  She will formally begin her new duties on August 1.

As a campus, we had the opportunity to become better acquainted with three outstanding finalists.  After their visits, I met with the search committee, with the deans, with the vice presidents, read the many, many comments provided by members of our community, and had further conversations with professional colleagues of each of the finalists. 

Each candidate offered particular strengths but it was clearly the consensus view of our campus that Dr. Riordan deeply and genuinely understood our approach to distinctive and distinguishing academic excellence, would effectively represent that core commitment internally and externally, and would meaningfully engage our deans, department leaders, faculty, and staff in further strengthening what is, already, a premier institution. 

Those latter abilities were particularly key in my own assessment.  I am confident that Catherine will continue efforts to lead through listening, to improve the transparency of decision processes, and to attain effective academic direction and administration through “a strong deans model.”

We all are indebted to Dr. Craig Dunn and the search committee that he chaired.  Again and again, I heard candidates and our search consultant compliment their professionalism, dedication, and diligence.  As I have said on several occasions, there was no more important decision facing our university this year; on our behalf – your behalf – the search committee acted accordingly and with a fine result.

I also wish to thank Dr. Dennis Murphy for his most effective and continuing service on an interim basis.  On behalf of the university, I extend a heartfelt thank you to this accomplished colleague and, personally, to a man who is a respected friend.  Being an interim anything is always an extra challenge; being the interim academic leader for the university during these difficult times is particularly challenging.  Not for Dr. Murphy, though, who has consistently been there for us, 150%, always willing to do whatever was needed and at a personal sacrifice.

The Western community has made a number of key leadership appointments during the last year: president, three vice presidents and two deans.  That these positions were open represented an important opportunity for the university to develop a leadership team for the future.  I believe, because of your hard work and the resultant outstanding reputation of Western, we have made significant progress in taking full advantage of that opportunity.  Such progress only adds to my firm confidence that we will successfully work through current budgetary challenges as Western directs its creativity, professionalism, and innovation to develop plans and strategies that will leave other institutions in our wake.

My best,

Bruce