Mark G. McNamee Announces Departure as Virginia Tech Provost

As the university community prepares for the start of a new semester, Senior Vice President and Provost Mark G. McNamee has announced that he will be stepping aside from his current role later this year. Despite his departure, McNamee expresses confidence in the leadership provided by President Tim Sands and the progress made in various initiatives, including the InclusiveVT program. The university has begun a search for a new vice president for research and innovation, and a search for a new provost will soon follow.

Key Takeaways:

• The winter session has come to a successful conclusion, and the spring semester is expected to continue the momentum created in the fall.
• The ongoing plans to revitalize and redefine the university's general education program are proceeding through governance, with a final plan expected to reflect the wisdom, vision, and aspirations of faculty and students.
• The InclusiveVT initiative, launched in the fall, has made significant progress, with the distributed responsibility and accountability model being implemented, and President Sands embracing a leadership role in advancing inclusion and diversity efforts.
• A search for a vice provost for inclusion and diversity will be launched later this spring, with the goal of finding an individual who can coordinate, advise, and advocate for inclusion and diversity initiatives.
• McNamee has decided to step aside from his role as senior vice president and provost, citing his 40th year in higher education and his desire to become a biochemist once again.
• The university has made significant progress in expanding its research enterprise, attracting and retaining top scholars across all disciplines, and enhancing graduate education programs.
• The new general education framework is expected to strengthen every aspect of Virginia Tech's academic enterprise, with the new general education pathways program serving as a legacy program to cap off McNamee's years as provost.
• A search for a new vice president for research and innovation has begun, with ongoing updates available on the search website.

Statistics:

• The InclusiveVT initiative has engaged 6 inclusion coordinators in facilitating the implementation and evaluation phase of the efforts.
• Over 350 participants attended the Advancing Diversity Conference to learn more about the university's inclusion and diversity efforts and contribute to the progress.
• Virginia Tech has been working on building strong connections and collaborations among student affairs and academic affairs, finance and academic affairs, state-wide and global presence.
• The new general education framework is expected to strengthen every aspect of Virginia Tech's academic enterprise.
• Dr. Robert Walters will retire in September, and a search for a new vice president for research and innovation will be conducted in his absence.

Sources:

• [Virginia Tech news release]
• [Virginia Tech Provost's Office]
• [InclusiveVT website]
• [Advancing Diversity Conference]