Florida Atlantic University administrators hosted two listening sessions on April 30 to seek out qualities faculty and staff hope to find in the search for the new permanent provost to oversee academic affairs at the university.

According to the FAU website, the provost leads the Office of the Provost, which “provides leadership to achieve excellence in teaching, research, scholarship and service.” The provost works directly under the university president. In the sessions, many attendees discussed concerns regarding political influence in the search and seeking a candidate equipped to help FAU expand with its new standing as an R1 top-tier research university. 

Ann Yates, partner of Buffkin/Baker, a firm specializing in hiring across different industries, was at the online session to gather faculty input as they search nationwide for the permanent position. Buffkin/Baker recently oversaw the university’s presidential search, which led to Adam Hasner being elected as the eighth president. 

Robert Lubarsky, university instructor in FAU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, said he is “concerned about political influence pushing the university in a certain direction,” pointing out the appointment of President Hasner, a former Republican member of Florida’s House of Representatives. 

In a university-wide email sent by Hasner on April 25, he stated the incoming provost “must be highly respected by their peers for their leadership, scholarship and vision, hold exceptional academic credentials and administrative experience, and prioritize accountability while driving results for student success.” 

Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Russell Ivy, has served in this temporary position for the past 18 months, following the previous provost, Bret Danilowicz, who left FAU to become the President of Radford University. However, Ivy intends to serve as interim provost until a permanent hire can be appointed, but he does not plan to take on the role permanently.

With FAU receiving the R1 designation, a prestigious accolade, FAU faculty members shared various opinions about how this new status attracts a different caliber of candidates to the provost search. FAU’s former Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Gary Perry, said it took a while to reach R1 status, and recommended finding someone to help the university grow. 

“It would behoove us to look for a provost from an R1 institution,” said Perry, who served in his position from May 2014 through June 2018. 

Meredith Ellis, an associate professor of Anthropology, said, “We’re very proud of who our students are and what we do for them.” Ellis shared that when it comes to FAU’s provost search, “we’re not just looking for someone to come in and glorify the R1 side, but to really be an advocate for what our institution is.” 

During the listening sessions, the Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates for the Board of Governors, Kimberly Dunn, said the university hopes to have a new provost by January 2026. Dunn served as the Faculty Senate President for FAU from 2021 until this spring semester. 

“The search committee will get started, hopefully over the next few weeks, to develop the profile, and then Buffkin/Baker can start to advertise the position and get applicants,” said Dunn.

Breanna Sugrim is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, you may contact Sugrim at bsugrim2019@fau.edu.