Despite remote learning and social distancing protocols enforced across the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic, Plattsburgh State is still searching for two new vice presidents during fully-remote interviews with candidates this week.
In an email from the Office of the President last week, three candidates have been chosen to meet with the campus community. The positions of provost and vice president for academic affairs and vice president for enrollment and student success are, “critical leadership roles [that] center on the heartbeat of the college: academics and students.”
The first candidate for the provost and vice president for academic affairs position, Elizabeth Throop, was introduced virtually to each PSU governing body, from the provost cabinet to academic department chairs and Student Association leadership, yesterday and this morning. An open forum for students, faculty and staff was made available via Zoom yesterday morning from 11 to 11:50 a.m.
“As you participate in forums and conversations with candidates, it is important to share the challenges and opportunities we face as a college and community, as well as the great opportunity this position holds,” co-chairs for the VPAA search committee Josee Larochelle and Vincent Cary wrote in an email to all students.
According to her curriculum vitae, Throop received a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California in San Diego in 1996. After teaching in the department of anthropology there, Throop received adjunct and assistant professor positions teaching anthropology, sociology and psychology at three different colleges across Illinois and one in Wisconsin from 1997 to 2004. She was department chair of anthropology, sociology and social work at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond for four years before accepting a position as dean of school of humanities and sciences at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, in 2009.
Throop’s other academic leadership positions include interim dean of Siebens School of Business at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, and dean of college of liberal arts and education at the University of Wisconsin, where she later became acting provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs for UW in 2016. Throop is currently provost and vice president for academic affairs at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland.
Information on each candidate, as well as the Zoom link for the open forum, will be available on the vice presidential search page on PSU’s website 24 hours in advance of each individual visit. The open forum for the second and third candidates will be tomorrow and Friday at 11 a.m.
According to the schedule for finalist meetings, candidates are asked to prepare 10 to 15 minutes of remarks to begin the forum and address their role as an academic leader, experience in student learning and success. After each forum, a feedback survey will be posted online at 11 a.m. on the day of each candidate’s meeting and will be deactivated the following day. All feedback information will be compiled by RPA, Inc., an executive recruitment and consulting firm for higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations, and shared with PSU’s VPAA search committee. Carey and Larochelle are encouraging feedback from all parties on each candidate this week for the future of PSU.
“While this may be an uncertain time, it is important for us to continue working together, to remain focused on our goals, and to help the college move forward into a new chapter.”
Email Emma Vallelunga at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
