The University of Iowa announced that Tufts' Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Sternberg is the first candidate for its vacant provost position.
Sternberg, a prominent psychologist, will visit the Iowa campus today and tomorrow as part of the selection process. He will participate today in a question-and-answer forum with a faculty panel in front of a general audience. Tomorrow he will give a lecture on "The Primary Challenges Facing Public Research Universities Today," the topic on which each candidate will have to speak.
Sternberg will also meet with faculty, deans, student leaders and University of Iowa President Sally Mason during the trip.
But the dean says he does not necessarily expect to accept the offer if he is selected. "I love being at Tufts and in the greatest likelihood will be at Tufts for some time to come," he said in an e-mail. "I am far from being on the verge of leaving Tufts ... [B]eing nominated for a position is not tantamount to being selected for it, and being selected is not tantamount to accepting."
Sternberg has spearheaded various initiatives since accepting his position at Tufts in 2005. "I think he is widely respected as an innovator and a leader," said Tufts spokeswoman Kim Thurler.
The other four finalists for the position have not been announced officially. Their names will be released in the coming weeks before they visit the university. Two candidates, along with Sternberg, will be visiting this week. The final two candidates will visit during the week of March 10.
"We just announce [the finalists] as they come" to Iowa, said Steve Parrott, a spokesman for the university. "Typically that's what candidates prefer."
The university will likely announce its new provost by the end of March, according to Parrott.
Parrott said that the search for a new provost began in December 2007. "We advertised in the Chronicle of Higher Education; also, we have our search committee," he said.
The search committee looks for "a person who has real strength in their academics across the arts, humanities and sciences," he said. "I'm assuming that [Sternberg] fits that bill."
The provost position was left open when Michael Hogan left in September to become president of the University of Connecticut. Lola Lopes is serving as interim provost until one of the five finalists is selected.
Sternberg became Tufts' dean of Arts and Sciences in August 2005, replacing Susan Ernst. He has led various initiatives and programs at Tufts since his arrival.
Tufts implemented a creative component last year to its supplement to the Common Application. This component was based on Sternberg's research with the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), which he heads. CELT is a resource for those interested in pursuing teaching and academia.
Sternberg also spearheaded an initiative to provide more research opportunities to junior faculty members. The move, which took effect in 2006, permits assistant professors to take yearlong research leaves.
Sternberg was formerly an IBM Professor of Psychology and Education at Yale University, where he was also the director of graduate studies in the psychology department.
At Yale, he also directed the Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies and Expertise (PACE). The PACE Center relocated to Tufts along with Sternberg.
It is an institute for psychological research and development that focuses on the interrelations among three categories of human intelligence: abilities, competencies and expertise. The PACE Center emphasizes that students need to employ creativity and practical skills in addition to excelling in traditional academic fields.
At Tufts, Sternberg has led different PACE Center research projects, including Innovative Measures of Personal Abilities Cultivated in Tufts Students (IMPACTS). This ongoing study seeks to determine how a Tufts education impacts students' personal qualities.
Sternberg received his doctorate in psychology from Stanford University in 1975, and his bachelor's degree in psychology from Yale University in 1972. He graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with honors and exceptional distinction. He also holds a number of honorary doctorates from various international universities.
His research interests center on intelligence, testing intelligence, creativity and wisdom, leadership, love, hate and close relationships. He has traveled to five continents to conduct research. He has written more than 1,200 books, chapters or articles and has received over $20 million in grants and contracts from both the government and independent organizations.
He is a former president of the American Psychological Association and is frequently cited in psychology and psychiatry publications.
Giovanni Russonello contributed reporting to this article.
