Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger announced this morning that Donald Hall will be the next executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.
The search committee for the new provost, co-chaired by Karen Jones, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion and Barry Jones, department chair and professor of economics, began reviewing applications four months ago, with Donald Nieman, the current executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, set to step down from the position at the end of the academic year after 10 years of service.
“I greatly appreciate the work done by the search committee, led by Vice President [for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] Karen Jones and Professor Barry Jones, to find exceptional candidates among a large, national pool of applicants,” Stenger said in a Dateline announcement. “The committee’s work enabled the campus community and me to select [Hall] as our next provost. [Hall’s] experience and leadership positions at renowned institutions are strengths that made him the clear choice. I look forward to working with him to continue our growth and progress as a premier public university.”
Hall has had 30 years of experience in public and private higher education. He will be leaving his current position as the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of Faculty of Arts, Sciences and Engineering (AS&E) at the University of Rochester. As chief academic and financial officer of AS&E, Hall oversaw the second-largest unit on the University of Rochester’s campus.
Hall had previously served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University for seven years, and in administrative and professorial roles at public universities, including California State University, Northridge and West Virginia University, for 20 years. Hall said he looks forward to his new role as provost at BU.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining [BU],” Hall wrote in an email. “The students whom I met during my interview on campus were incredibly impressive. I was blown away by their dedication, ambition and social conscience. I can’t wait to get to know more students and hear about their aspirations.”
Some of the responsibilities Hall will have as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost include overseeing recruitment and admissions initiatives, the budgetary process, the BU Art Museum, promoting student success and collaborating with other vice presidents and deans at BU.
In his cover letter and resume for the position, Hall had mentioned a variety of qualifications, including starting diversification efforts at four universities.
“At [California State University, Northridge], I chaired hiring committees that replaced half of the department’s faculty in less than a decade (after a wave of retirements) and largely with members of traditionally underrepresented groups who mirrored the changing demographic of the student population,” Hall wrote. “Such cohort-based hiring led to a strong retention success.”
Hall also highlighted his personal experience with LGBTQ activism at both Lehigh University and University of Rochester, his interest in contributing to BU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and his success at raising money for student study abroad programs.
As he waits to assume his role on July 1, Hall said he hopes to build upon the objectives set by administration.
“The University has been climbing the ranks dramatically in national and international reputation, and I want to do everything I can to support its goals and those of President Stenger,” Hall wrote in an email. “I have a very deep commitment to social justice issues and campus internationalization. I know the University does too and that is one reason why this was such an exciting opportunity. I’m looking forward to the transition this summer and I’ll be ready to meet as many students, faculty and staff as possible in my first weeks and months on the job. ”