Process continues in provost search
Chief academic officer and the university president’s second in command — two of the many roles Katherine Aiken serves as interim provost and executive vice president.
The roles carry a great deal of responsibility, but to Aiken, the position is an opportunity to move the University of Idaho toward a better future.
Katherine Aiken
“The provost is the president’s partner … the provost and the president work together to move the university in the direction that the president envisions,” she said.
After months of looking for qualified candidates, the search committee reviewed all applications and has moved on to the intermediate interview phase, Aiken said.
Aiken, the chair of the search committee, said intermediate interviews are off campus and confidential to allow candidates to apply for the job without burning professional bridges with current employers. She said final candidates would be announced mid-February and on-campus interviews are tentatively scheduled for Feb. 11-23.
The on-campus interview would include a public forum and meetings with various stakeholders on campus, including college deans and students. Aiken said candidates would also meet with the search committee.
Aiken said the committee looked for applicants who have experience at a major research university and would be able to handle the responsibility of serving at a statewide institution. She also said the committee looked for candidates who would be a strong advocate for academics in Idaho and have long-term planning capabilities.
Although UI hired a search consultant for the position, Aiken said the search committee has also relied on recommendations from the president, faculty members and committee members in finding suitable candidates.
“At a place like the University of Idaho, academics is a pretty small world,” she said. “And so people have connections, and so we’ve tried really hard to recruit as broad a pool as we can.”
Aiken said she sees a number of factors that might draw a candidate to UI: high-quality faculty, a good group of deans and a good mentor with UI President Chuck Staben.
As the president’s No. 2, Aiken said Staben will have a larger hand in picking the provost once the finalists are announced and the hiring decision will ultimately be under his discretion.
“This is really his hire, this is his direct report,” she said. “The committee is advisory to him, which is true of all search committees.”
At UI, the provost also has the title of executive vice president. The executive vice president heads the group of upper administrators on campus who oversee a wide variety of UI functions, from Student Affairs to research and development.
As interim provost, Aiken also oversees all academic activities at UI and works closely with college deans. She said the provost serves as the internal operations manager, while the president is the public advocate for the university.
Aiken said while provost is an important position for students to be aware of, if the job is done right, most students wouldn’t notice a transition in the position. She said she hopes the new provost will bring a strong commitment to academics and care deeply about student learning.
“This is a great university, I liked it so well I committed my career to it,” she said.
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]