News
OU Must Search For New Provost
By: Ohio University Communications and Marketing
Posted on:
Ohio University Interim President David Descutner announced today that Pam Benoit, Executive Vice President and Provost, has accepted a new position at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She will serve as UAB’s new Senior Vice President and Provost. Her appointment begins on July 1, 2017.
“For the last eight years, Pam has worked ever so effectively to advance Ohio University as a premier research university and transformative learning community,” Interim President David Descutner said. “She was a wonderful colleague during the years when we worked closely together, and I thank her for her commitment to OHIO’s mission and her exemplary leadership.”
As chief academic officer of Ohio University since 2009, Dr. Benoit has led many significant initiatives, including: the conversion from quarters to semesters in 2012; development and implementation of the OHIO Guarantee, an innovative tuition and fee model through which Ohio University is helping students budget for the cost of a college education, in 2014; and creation of the nationally recognized Innovation Strategy Investment Program in 2016. She was instrumental in transformative growth for the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine into Cleveland in 2015, where the University now partners with one of the most respected institutions in medicine, the Cleveland Clinic, to bolster the University into the forefront of medical education in Ohio and beyond.
Prior to joining OHIO, she served as the Vice Provost of Advanced Studies and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri.
Incoming Ohio University President Duane Nellis joined Dr. Descutner in praising Dr. Benoit’s leadership. “Pam is highly respected within the Ohio University community and throughout academia. I have no doubt that the qualities that have made her an extremely valuable member of OHIO’s senior leadership team will also serve to make her an exceptional member of UAB’s team. I wish Pam and her husband, Bill, all the best.”
“I am thrilled to be joining the University of Alabama at Birmingham and am eager for the opportunity to lead the academic mission of one of the top 20 federal research institutions in the nation,” said Dr. Benoit. “Although I will miss my friends and colleagues at Ohio University tremendously, I have no doubt that with strong leadership the University will continue to advance in the years to come. I will always have a special place in my heart for the Bobcat family. ”
In the coming weeks, Dr. Nellis will work with Dr. Benoit to develop a succession plan. An interim Executive Vice President and Provost will be appointed to fulfill the position’s duties and responsibilities as the University embarks upon a national search. A search firm will be hired and a University-wide search committee will be formed to identify candidates to permanently fill the position.