Since January, Provost Beverley Pitts has had to carry out her duties not only as provost but also as acting president. When President Jo Ann Gora took office on Aug. 9, though, Pitts was able to refocus her energy on being provost, she said.
"For the last seven or eight months, I've had to focus on day to day issues," Pitts said. "I will now be able to focus on the long term issues."
As acting president, Pitts was responsible for meeting the accredidation team, which came only days after she took the office, planning the budget and making sure all special events, such as graduation, went on as scheduled.
"That was very important," Pitts said of the programs. "We wanted to make sure they all happened as they always do."
Though Pitts continued to act as provost since January, she said she was unable to look at the bigger issues.
She now wants to focus on helping the university grow in academic strength.
"That's a primary goal - we have to keep getting better and better," Pitts said. "We have to attract the best faculty and make this an institution where they want to be."
Other issues include finding a dean for the College of Communication, Information and Media and implementing a $5 million Lilly grant to help the sciences.
A new search committee for a dean might be formed by the beginning of September, and Pitts will be in charge of reviewing the final candidates.
The search committee formed last year did not produce a final candidate, but Pitts said she was optimistic the new search would find one.
"Our opportunities are better this year because we have an earlier start and the word is already out," Pitts said.
Pitts will also be working on several new initiatives, she said, one of which is the Lilly grant.
The four-year grant provides money for graduate assistantships, undergraduate fellowships and other ways to help recruit students and faculty.
Pitts will also turn her focus back to restructuring the core curriculum, which hasn't been changed for 20 years, she said.
Pitts said she hoped to have a new curriculum by the time the next undergraduate catalog is printed in 18 months.
"My chief concern is that we have the best faculty and the best curriculum for our students," she said. "It feels good to have that be my focus again."
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