Kingsolver seeks student inclusion in provost search

Students received news about former Provost Karen Hanson’s resignation in September.

“In every University decision for decades, students have been among the first consulted,” said IU Student Association President Justin Kingsolver.

Six months later, he said, he wonders why students have not been involved in the search and screening process.

Kingsolver discussed the issue with other student leaders and wrote a letter March 19 to IU President Michael McRobbie and other administrators “on behalf of the 43,000 graduate and undergraduate students at Indiana University in Bloomington,” it reads.

Kingsolver said he emailed the president’s office repeatedly prior to writing the letter, asking for updates about the search process. He said he only received word that the “search and screen process has not yet begun” and “the President’s Office is reassessing what kind of person it would like to see as Provost.”

In his letter, Kingsolver acknowledged the validity of those claims but requested that students play a more active role in that dialogue. He also asked for increased inclusion and transparency for students in the entire selection process.

Associate Vice President of University Communications Mark Land said the University has not yet formed a search and screening committee.

“It’s still early in the process, so the most important thing for us to do is get the best possible candidates,” he said, adding that he was unsure there had even been a timetable created for forming the committee and completing the search.

Land said the search for a new provost will follow a set of guidelines used in previous searches for University administrators. The policy calls for students to sit on the selection committee, although the majority of the committee will consist of faculty and administrators.

“One of the challenges is sometimes these searches can take quite a while, and students are more transitory than faculty and staff,” Land said.

Dr. William Cast, chair of the Board of Trustees, said students have been involved previously in such processes, particularly when the search is external and candidates previously unaffiliated with the University are considered.

Cast said it has not yet been determined whether the search will be internal or external.

Kingsolver sent the letter to Board of Trustee members, Interim Provost Lauren Robel, Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith and other administrators.

In the letter, Kingsolver referred to Robel as an “inspired pick” whose “vigorous approach and commitment to her new responsibilities will steward the office until a permanent replacement is ascertained.” However, he emphasized the need for student involvement in planning for the University’s future.

“This is something students should know about because it’s a position that’s highly paid, and it’s the chief academic office,” Kingsolver said.