HIGHER EDUCATION
UNM announces three finalists for provost
Candidate will be selected after new university president is chosen in May
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The University of New Mexico announced three finalists to be its next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs Wednesday.
The finalists are:
Avery August, deputy provost at Cornell University. August is a professor of immunology. He has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in medical technology from California State University at Los Angeles and a doctorate in immunology from Cornell. His research focuses on understanding the immunological basis for the balance of inflammation and pathology.
Charles Martinez, dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Martinez is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology. He is the founding director of the Center for Research and Community Impact, which studies disparities in education and health. His work focuses on the positive development of Latino youth and their families. He holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from Pitzer College and a master鈥檚 and doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology.
Barbara Rodriguez, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at UNM. Rodriguez served as senior vice provost and chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Her research focuses on bilingual language development in young children, particularly in Spanish speakers. Rodriguez holds bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from UNM and earned her doctorate in speech-language pathology from the University of Washington. She grew up in Espa帽ola and joined the faculty of UNM in 1999.
The nationwide search to replace former provost James Holloway began in late January. Holloway left UNM in July after six years to become president of the University of Toledo in Ohio.
Rodriguez has been serving in Holloway鈥檚 position in the interim.
After a replacement is selected in May for President Garnett Stokes, who will be retiring in July, the new university president will help select the new provost, according to UNM spokesperson Ben Cloutier.
Candidates for provost will visit the campus for open forums in early May. All forums will be held in the Student Union Building, Lobo A/B, from 10:05 a.m. to 11:05 a.m.
August will visit Friday, May 1; Martinez will visit Wednesday, May 6; and Rodriguez will visit Thursday, May 7. Surveys will be available for the public to offer its feedback following each finalist鈥檚 visit on the UNM .
Still to come are campus visits from the remaining three finalists for president 鈥� Eric Barker from Purdue University, Steven Goldstein from the University of California, Irvine, and Eric Link from the University of North Dakota. The presidential finalists will visit May 11-13, after which the search committee will announce its choice.
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
