Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education - Inside Higher Ed :: On Serving as President and Provost ... at the Same Time

Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education - Inside Higher Ed :: On Serving as President and Provost ... at the Same Time: "On Serving as President and Provost ... at the Same Time By Susan Herbst For my entire career, or at least post-tenure (when I looked up and noticed that there was an administration actually running the place), I thought the divisions of labor I perceived within higher education were as they should be. Chairs oversee departments and advocate for their colleagues, deans manage their schools and represent their colleges to alumni, donors and others. The provost watches over the budget allocation process, makes certain the various units, divisions, and colleges are coordinated, and oversees pedagogical quality, research standards, hiring, tenure, and promotion. The president is the star of any event she attends, and is on the road, raising money and representing the campus to all constituencies. The provost is largely inside, the president is outside. And while the provost mixes with donors, distinguished visitors, and legislators, his or her primary business is to mind the home front."