The search for Tufts' next provost, marked by a high degree of student input, is on track to conclude by the end of 2011, according to search committee member and School of Engineering Dean Linda Abriola.
A search committee for a new provost formed following former Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha's move to serve as president of The Cooper Union last semester. Vice Provost Peggy Newell was appointed to serve in the role ad interim in March.
The search committee is composed of faculty, staff and administrators representing all the graduate and undergraduate schools.
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Professor Vali Nasr, who chairs the search committee, said the search for the new provost has gone well thus far.
"So far, we have had a surprisingly smooth process," Nasr said. "Everything is on schedule. Something like a provost search is a rare occurrence in a university. It is a huge undertaking for all the committee members."
The executive search firm Isaacson Miller, the same firm that selected University President Emeritus Lawrence Bacow and University President Anthony Monaco, is currently leading the search.
Nasr noted that Monaco has not been involved in the provost search.
"He had no direct involvement in deliberations of the committee or the interviewing," Nasr said.
The provost search committee sought to hear perspectives of Tufts students and faculty outside the committee by allowing them to submit concerns, questions and nominations through the provost search website, according to Nasr.
Although no students sat on the search committee, many were involved in what Nasr referred to as an "intense listening tour" of meetings held on several Tufts campuses throughout the spring and summer. The meetings served as an open forum in which search committee members and attendees discussed qualities a new provost should possess as well as potential nominations, according to Nasr.
Students were welcome to attend the "town hall" meetings, Nasr said.
"We encouraged everyone to get in touch with members of the committee and give us their opinion," Nasr said.
Junior Hoai Le attended a provost search meeting on the Medford campus last spring and submitted to the search committee a candidate nomination as well as a list of suggestions of qualities a new provost should possess. Le is hopeful that the committee will take student perspective into consideration.
"They [the committee] seemed genuinely interested in the faculty perspective and student perspective," Le said. "Hopefully their concern will be reflected in the choice of provost."
Alice and Nathan Gantcher University Professor Sol Gittleman, who served as provost from 1981 to 2002, stressed the importance of managerial and leadership skills in the new provost.
"The search committee should look for someone who works well with the president and has a great emotional intelligence and can deal with all sorts of human beings," Gittleman said.
The provost is responsible for overseeing each dean of each school, a total of eight at Tufts, according to Gittleman.
"If the provost is the chief psychologist, the president is the chief psychiatrist. Together they must be able to deal with all these people effectively."
Nasr expressed confidence that the search process will conclude on schedule.
"We will have a new provost starting academic year 2012−2013," Nasr said.
