Clough names Schuster provost

Institute President Wayne Clough announced Wed. that Gary Schuster, current dean of the College of Sciences, will replace Jean-Lou Chameau as provost and vice president of Academic Affairs.

"Dr. Schuster has many strengths. Especially from the undergraduate point of view- he is right in the middle of it as he is the dean of a college that every student must take classes from," Clough said.

"It was a great search. It was an internal search, but we had really great candidates apply. Dr. Schuster places a lot of emphasis on students and their experience inside and outside of the classroom which will add a lot to Tech. He will provide support so that students can have the academic experience they expect. He also value student life and experiences that are educational in different ways," said Alison Graab, undergraduate student body president.

"I am absolutely excited about being asked to become provost. This is a very exciting time for Georgia Tech students and faculty. I am looking forward to working with everyone to continue the progress we've made. My perspective is that being a top engineering school is an amazing asset. Working with the faculty in the sciences over the past 12 years we have worked to design multidisciplinary opportunities that offer advantages no other place can offer," Schuster said.

A search committee was formed to find the person to replace Jean-Lou Chameau as provost and vice-president of academic affairs. The goal was to have a new person in place before Chameau leaves for CalTech.

"You never want to have a gap," said Bill Koros, professor in the school of chemical and biomolecular engineering and Roberto C. Goizueta Chair and chair of the search committee.

According to Koros, President Clough is starting a number of new initiatives and the plan was to have someone in place, so those initiatives can go forward.

"The provost runs campus; he is the chief academic officer and budget officer. He handles the day to day affairs of campus as well as policy matters. The provost is the key to the whole operation," Koros said.

The search was conducted within the University System of Georgia.

"Clough challenged the committee to search the University System of Georgia to find adequate candidates," Koros said.

According to Koros, eight candidates completed the nomination packet.

Tech has a history of finding provosts from within the ranks of its faculty and administration. Chameau was promoted from within when he became provost in 2001.

"We advertised throughout the University System of Georgia, but all of the candidates were from Tech," Koros said.

Everyone has had a say in what type of person is selected to replace Chameau. The majority opinion was to find someone who was similar to Chameau.

"We placed a high emphasis on finding someone who values diversity. The word used most often was transparent, meaning a person who uses clear communication and knows what he is doing," Koros said.

According to Koros, he had no concerns about finding a new provost from within the group of candidates.

"There were impressive individuals in that group," Koros said.

Schuster was one of three finalists selected by a search committee. The other two finalists were Sue Rosser, dean of the Ivan Allen College, and Bill Wepfer, vice provost for Distance Learning and Professional Education.

The final three candidates then met with President Clough, administration officials, and deans. The search committee was disbanded after making the three finalist nominations.

Schuster already has ideas to implement when he takes on his new role as provost.

"I have a number of very important things on the agenda. One of the critical things and one of the important responsibilities of provost is to make sure curricula across all disciplines provides our students with skills and tools necessary for the 21st century. One of our major responsibilities in an increasingly technological world is to make sure we are giving our students the opportunity to succeed. Students, deans, faculty, and everyone need to be involved to make sure we are doing our very best," Schuster said.

According to Schuster, student input is also important to him.

"I want to hear from [students]. A dialogue has to have two partners. As provost at Tech, one of the things I am looking forward to doing is meeting more and more students and hearing what they have to say. I want to hear what they like and what they don't like and where the challenges and opportunities are from their perspective," Schuster said.

According to Clough, there are some specific areas that need to be addressed once Schuster takes office.

"There are a number of things that [Dr. Schuster and I] are going to sit down and talk about. Even if we hadn't had the change in provost, we are at the point where we need to rethink what we are doing and work to move to that next level," Clough said.

One area of focus is non-engineering colleges.

"We are doing everything we can to grow social sciences. Dr. Schuster very much appreciates that. He has grown our science to a position of excellence. He has overseen the growth. He has been very creative in working with his fellow deans. He is very creative and innovative. He realizes that we have limited resources.

"He understands sometimes we have to work smarter rather than harder- both actually. He is an excellent researcher and respected. He has been very close to the students. He has been very active in creating a culture of success for our undergraduate students," Clough said.