After
36 years of service to Appalachian State University, Dr. Harvey
R. Durham will retire as provost on June 30, creating a job vacancy
that members of the Provost Search Committee are eager to fill.
Durham began his career at Appalachian in 1966 as a professor in
the department of mathematical science and took the role of Vice
Chancellor of Academic Affairs in 1980, which later became known
as the Office of the Provost. Upon notice of his retirement, the
Provost Search Committee was formed and is headed by Director of
Institutional Research and Planning Dr. Bobby H. Sharp.
Speaking about his career as provost, Durham listed numerous responsibilities
associated with the office including managing personnel and all
financial matters pertaining to the university’s four colleges
and two schools. Durham also mentioned matters dealing with summer
school, the computer center, the honors program, the learning communities,
admissions and more.
Durham cited personnel difficulties as the biggest challenge he
has faced in his career as provost and hopes the new provost will
be equipped to handle personnel situations.
“When you have to do something that’s adverse to the employment
status of a faculty member—you don’t reappoint, you don’t
promote, you don’t give tenure, faculty salary raises in the
eyes of the faculty member are less than what they think they ought
to get—so many times you have to make decisions that just are
not favorable to the faculty member,” Durham said. “Those
are the most difficult things you can deal with.”
Durham said the current budget problems, which he said he feels
will continue for at least a few more years, will be the most immediate
challenge for the new provost to overcome.
Sharp and the Provost Search Committee will host five on-campus
forums where students, faculty and staff are permitted to voice
their opinions regarding the provost candidates and the position.
Two meetings will be held Friday, one Wednesday and two Friday,
Dec. 6. The forums are open to all who wish to attend.
“[The forums] will be opportunities [for] the campus faculty,
staff and students to come and talk to us as a community,”
Sharp said. “We’ll hear what you have to say, hear your
concerns and your issues.”
Sharp said he feels the forums will open the lines of communication
between the campus and the committee. He said he believes the provost
search is an important issue in which students, faculty and staff
should get involved.
“It’s important that the campus, all constituencies, have
an opportunity to talk to us and tell us your concerns and issues
that you have,” Sharp said. “Obviously that is part of
what the committee will be using in its filtration of the screening
of the applications.”
Sharp spoke to the Faculty Senate last week and encouraged senators
to give the committee any feedback they can provide by attending
the forums.
Senator Stephen J. Simon, representing the department of history,
said he felt that the faculty should play a key role in the selection
of a new provost and said the faculty should be allowed to ask questions
of the candidates once they are selected.
“Since the provost is the chief academic officer of the campus,
I really do think that faculty concerns ought to be the principle
consideration of the committee,” Simon said. “I think
it’s important that [the committee] listen to the faculty.
I think it’s important that [the committee] encourage the faculty
to meet with [them] and express their concerns with what the provost
should be.”
Durham will assist the committee throughout their internal and external
search for a new provost. He said he hopes the position’s recipient
will benefit the university.
“I just want to see somebody that’s going to take care
of our university and promote the interests of faculty, staff and
students, not just in academic affairs but across the university,”
Durham said. |
