Washington University will begin a national search for its next provost this summer, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. A nine-member committee will be tasked with finding a successor for Holden Thorp, who will conclude his term on July 15 after serving in the role since 2013.
Marion Crain, who holds a dual appointment as vice provost and the Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law, will serve as interim provost during the transition.
“We could not ask for a more capable, steady and trusted leader during this important time for the university,” Martin said of Crain, who also served as interim leader of the University Libraries in 2016-17. “Marion Crain has again stepped up to lend her considerable expertise as an academic and administrator as we begin the careful work of selecting Washington University’s next provost. I can think of no one better suited for this role and I am grateful to her for her commitment and loyalty to the university.”
Crain, who also holds academic appointments in the Brown School and in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in Arts and Sciences, has been a member of the Washington University faculty since 2008. Her current administrative duties in the Office of the Provost include oversight of initiatives designed to stimulate and facilitate interdisciplinary teaching, including the Bring Your Own Idea program and the Beyond Boundaries cross-school teaching grant program. She serves as liaison between the provost’s office and several universitywide academic centers and institutes, including the Danforth Center on Religion & Politics, the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, and the Institute for Public Health.
The search committee, which will be chaired by Martin, will begin its work in July.
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