Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Headlines

Dr. Kent Neely will be taking over the position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs on August 1, 2008. Neely comes from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, where he served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Neely was also interviewed for the Provost position at Southern Oregon University and Western Illinois University in the past year.

Western has turned to Dr. Kent Neely of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to fill the position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The search for a new Provost began last September, taking about six months to complete with more than 50 applicants, according to Dr. Bryan Dutton, Associate Professor of Biology and Chair of the Provost Search Committee.

"The search committee evaluated applications from late September to mid-October. We conducted video-conferences with our top two candidates from last October to mid-November. We decided on four finalists in early December. The four finalists visited campus in Jaunary," said Dutton.

These four finalists also fielded questions from students who sat in during the interview process. The students' main task was to discover how the candidates prioritized student involvement. Following their interviews with candidates, Student Activities Board Director, Ashley Erb and ASWOU President, Tiffani McCoy were able to submit letters of recommendation for the two candidates they thought best represented what Western needed.

Erb and McCoy were impressed that Neely prioritized in favor of students when serving them academically and preparing them for a career.

After going through the process of finding a Provost, the decision was made that Neely was the best fit for Western. Neely will take the position left open by Jem Specter, who left to serve as President at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

According to Dutton, the search committee found Neely appealing because of his "extensive administrative experience, especially as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE." At SIUE, Neely presides over a staff of 12 and oversees 19 different academic departments.

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