Interim provost Scott Coltrane kicked off candidate presentations for provost in front of a full room that included University of Oregon administration, faculty, staff and community members on Jan. 12, 2014 in the Ford Lecture Hall at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
Among the array of responsibilities, the provost acts on behalf of the president when absent and is the spokesperson of academic matters at the university. Overall, the provost acts as the chief academic officer by overseeing the quality of instruction and research.
“The main job is to implement the president’s mission,” Coltrane, who is the only internal candidate for the position, said.
Coltrane’s goals as provost are to increase financial stability, retention rates and the amount of tenured faculty, as well as expand UO’s academic brand and standardize policies across departments.
The candidate spoke of his on-going collaborations during his time as interim provost that include reorganizing the provost office, developing process and criteria for internal affairs, reconfiguring advisory committees and strategic planning.
Coltrane originally comes from the University of California school system, as does UO President Michael Gottfredson. He received his Ph.D from UC Santa Cruz focusing on sociology, specifically family issues. He resided as an associated dean at UC Riverside before coming to UO in 2008 as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In July 2013, Coltrane stepped into the role of interim provost.
“He is a very good team player so he knows how to take into consideration of what people think, but then he is also willing to make the hard decisions and live with the consequence,” Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Barbara Altmann said. “I’ve had a wonderful time working with him and all I can say is the next three finalists are going to be very strong to stand a chance at the job.”
Gottfredson will choose the final candidate after hearing the recommendation from the provost search committee. Chair Alec Murphy, a professor in the UO geography department, expects a decision to be made mid-February. He will not be publicly announced until a contract is finalized.
The three remaining candidates have yet to be disclosed. The next presentation will be next Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014 in the same location.