Associate dean Vito takes newly-created vice provost position

Ray Vito, former associate dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering, has become the first vice provost for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies. The newly created position in the reorganized Office of the Provost oversees and coordinates all activities and programs in support of undergraduate and graduate education.

"We held an internal search [for the new position] to have someone who could understand Tech," said Anderson Smith, senior vice provost for Academic Affairs. The final decision was made after the final two candidates participated in campus-wide interviews.

"Ray had a record of... teaching both the undergraduate and graduate levels.... He has a lot of experience working with students as a faculty member and as an administrator." Smith said.

" I had a very similar role in the College of Engineering. [Taking this role] is a fairly logical step for me. We have a tremendous student body. We have the opportunity to do new things, and we can do the old things even better," Vito said.

Vito will also be charged with working with Deans, School Chairs and Undergraduate and Graduate Coordinators to ensure all education programs meet the highest standard of excellence as well as ensuring that academic support and service programs for both undergraduate and graduate students are provided to enhance the educational experience.

Some of the programs that will report to Vito include the Honors Program, the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Office of Graduate Studies.

"The hard part is [going to be answering] 'how do we make this new position work?' The opportunity to have someone at a high level looking at all the undergraduate and graduate programs... is a new thing for [Tech]. Graduate and undergraduate programs were divided before into pieces, and [now] having them under one umbrella is logical," Vito said.

Vito made it clear that he doesn't intend to come in and start managing the various programs that report to him. Instead, he has stated that he said that he believes in empowering the faculty.

"Tech is a very dynamic place with a tremendous and entrepreneurial faculty... [and] we are here to educate the students."

"The bottom line for me is [asking if what we are doing] meets the needs of the students.... The key is student engagement. I'd like to see [the students] more aware of and take advantage of the opportunities Tech provides. [It is up to us] as a faculty to help encourage [the students]," Vito said.

Touching on engagement, Vito says the undergraduate programs have expanded opportunity for students to enhance their academic experience.

"One of the opportunities that students should consider is [undergraduate] research. It will allow them to have more enriching experiences and help them make career choices.... If you just show up for class, then you can miss a lot," Vito said.

As for the graduate programs, Vito said that Tech does a great job training students for research careers and the question comes down to how to mentor graduate students for success in their academic careers.

"We could do more to help our students in the non-research parts of the careers," Vito said. Some of the areas where offerings could be provided include speaking and presentation skills, help with grant writing and teaching skills.

In general though, Vito said he wants to make sure students are able to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

"One of the things I'd like to see in the current generation of students is that students learn how to learn....You need to be nimble in today's world, and one way to be nimble is learning on your own and we need to help students develop this ability," Vito said.

Vito believes Tech has some unique characteristics as a university, including a bottom up approach that is driven by the programs and the faculty.

"We always need to be asking if we are educating students for success in their careers, and how can we as a faculty help ensure this. It's the small changes that make a difference, you don't have to turn the whole place upside down," Vito said.