The Office of the Provost released this announcement Feb. 15.

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan has launched national searches for the positions of vice provost and dean for undergraduate education (VP/DUE), and vice provost for enrollment management (VPEM). The provost expects both positions, which report directly to her, will be filled no later than September 2022.

The creation of a recruitment advisory committee for each search is underway, and the university has secured the services of the Isaacson Miller search firm to assist both recruitment advisory committees in identifying potential candidates. The committees will be soliciting comments from the campus community about the qualifications the university should be looking for in the candidates for each position.

• Undergraduate Education — The vice provost and dean for undergraduate education is a key member of the provost and executive vice chancellor’s team, with campuswide leadership responsibility to sustain and enhance the excellence of undergraduate teaching and learning. The VP/DUE acts as liaison on academic issues pertinent to undergraduate education with each of the colleges and other campus entities, including the Academic Senate, as well as with external units and agencies, including the Office of the President, other UC campuses, other institutions of higher education, and relevant accreditation agencies. The co-chairs for the recruitment advisory committee are Dean Estella Atekwana of the College of Letters and Science and Susan Keen, professor of teaching in evolution and ecology. The new hire will succeed Interim VP/DUE Cynthia Carter-Ching, who, according to Provost Croughan, “has done an excellent job in this position for over a year.”
• Enrollment Management — The new vice provost for enrollment management (the first head of enrollment management at the vice provost level) will play the critical role of influencing the size, shape and character of UC Davis’ undergraduate student body. Conferring with and advising the provost and executive vice chancellor, and collaborating with various campus and external organizations and stakeholders, the VPEM will provide leadership for: 1) meeting annual campus outreach objectives and enrollment targets for new undergraduate students, and 2) achieving campus goals that enhance the diversity of our student body and the prominence of UC Davis nationally and internationally. The co-chairs for the recruitment advisory committee are Dean Lauren Lindstrom of the School of Education and Deborah Swenson, chair and professor of the Department of Economics. The new hire will succeed Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Deborah Agee, whom the provost has described as “a strong and effective enrollment leader” this academic year.

Provost Croughan — whose top priorities include improving learning across all UC Davis colleges and schools, eliminating the academic success gaps among different student populations and, in general, supporting a diverse, equitable and inclusive campus community — remarked: “The new vice provost and dean for undergraduate education and the new vice provost for enrollment management will play a central role in maintaining UC Davis’ upward trajectory in educational excellence and in making sure we continue to serve all of our students and all of California. Working collaboratively with the campus community and others, we will hire individuals of exceptional training, experience, creativity and commitment for these critical positions.”