Spring Break
Q&A : Wilkins
Jesse Gomez
Issue date: 8/2/07 Section: NEWS
By Nicole Turner
Staff Writer
Q: What is your favorite aspect of this type of work?
A: My favorite aspect of university life is working with talented, smart people-faculty, students and staff. In administration, the most fulfilling duties I have handled involve academic human resources, especially those that facilitate the research, creative activities and teaching responsibilities of the faculty.
Q: Being the new provost, what specific plans do you have for the university?
A: I don't think it's the place of the provost to have plans "for" the university. Instead, the provost should work closely with especially the president, the other vice presidents, the deans and other members of the academic community to move forward on the strategic directions that have already been carefully identified. It is these that brought me to UNT in the first place, along with its already-established good reputation in many arenas.
Q: What are the duties of the provost position?
A: The provost is the chief academic officer of the university. You can find specifics of the expected duties in the position description to which candidates responded. This should be available to you on the UNT Web site, perhaps now in the archives.
Q: What do you think a typical day in your new post will be like?
A: I don't think any days in university administration are really what you might call typical. In my experience, the work day involves a lot of handling what presents itself. There will be scheduled duties, such as meeting regularly with the deans, the chairs council, the faculty senate leadership, et cetera, but much of the time I will be working on particular issues that need attention (review of academic programs, hiring academic administrators such as deans, preparing reports for the president, working on the budget allocations, et cetera.)
Q: What is something you are particularly looking forward to as the new provost?
A: I'm especially looking forward to working with the other members of the administrative team to really "make a difference" in the future of UNT.
Staff Writer
Q: What is your favorite aspect of this type of work?
A: My favorite aspect of university life is working with talented, smart people-faculty, students and staff. In administration, the most fulfilling duties I have handled involve academic human resources, especially those that facilitate the research, creative activities and teaching responsibilities of the faculty.
Q: Being the new provost, what specific plans do you have for the university?
A: I don't think it's the place of the provost to have plans "for" the university. Instead, the provost should work closely with especially the president, the other vice presidents, the deans and other members of the academic community to move forward on the strategic directions that have already been carefully identified. It is these that brought me to UNT in the first place, along with its already-established good reputation in many arenas.
Q: What are the duties of the provost position?
A: The provost is the chief academic officer of the university. You can find specifics of the expected duties in the position description to which candidates responded. This should be available to you on the UNT Web site, perhaps now in the archives.
Q: What do you think a typical day in your new post will be like?
A: I don't think any days in university administration are really what you might call typical. In my experience, the work day involves a lot of handling what presents itself. There will be scheduled duties, such as meeting regularly with the deans, the chairs council, the faculty senate leadership, et cetera, but much of the time I will be working on particular issues that need attention (review of academic programs, hiring academic administrators such as deans, preparing reports for the president, working on the budget allocations, et cetera.)
Q: What is something you are particularly looking forward to as the new provost?
A: I'm especially looking forward to working with the other members of the administrative team to really "make a difference" in the future of UNT.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Katie Farnam
posted 8/02/07 @ 9:19 AM CST
Either this guy doesn't understand his job description or he is a jerk. Just answer the question, man. Don't make us scour the depths of the NT Web site's archive. (Continued…)
NT Daily adviser
posted 8/02/07 @ 10:34 AM CST
Katie, the new provost is a woman, not a man.
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