John Coleman appointed Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
April 20, 2023
Chancellor Robert Jones announced in a Massmail on Wednesday that John Coleman, a dean and political science professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, has been appointed vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost for the University, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.
The position, of which Chancellor Jones referred to in the mass mail and in the past “as one of the most desirable academic leadership positions in all of American higher education,” oversees campus academic programs, priorities and policies, working closely with the chancellor, other vice chancellors, deans and the University Senate, according to the Office of the Provost’s website.
William Bernhard, a professor of political science, served in the position in the interim.
“(Bernhard’s) collaborative and consultative approach has brought stability with continued forward movement in our academic operations as we searched for a permanent provost,” Jones said.
Bernhard will continue in the role until July, and Coleman, should he be confirmed, will start on July 19.
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The effort to fill the vacancy, most recently held in a permanent capacity by Andreas Cangellaris, was “extensive,” according to Chancellor Jones.
“I charged our committee and our entire campus to take the necessary time and invest the extensive effort to find the best candidate to lead our academic missions forward with the vision and urgency our state expects from its flagship university,” Jones said.
The search committee, headed by Jeff Brown, dean of the Gies College of Business, held several public forums and livestreamed meetings in evaluating candidates from what Jones called “an impressive pool.”
Coleman was selected out of several finalists from across the U.S. including Elliott Cheu, Venetria Patton, Norma Bouchard, Patrick Wolfe and Rosario Ceballo through a process that included several forums over the course of two years.
In an email to the University community, Jones said Coleman has established an “international reputation as an educator, scholar and academic leader.”
“Having served nearly his entire academic career in Big Ten, public, land-grant research universities, he comes to Illinois with a deep and profound understanding of our foundational obligations to translate knowledge, education and exploration into better lives for those we serve,” Jones said.
Coleman started his academic career at the University of Texas before serving as a faculty member and department chair of the University of Wisconsin Political Science Department.
He is currently a professor of political science and the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He holds a doctorate in political science from MIT and has been president of the political organizations and political parties section of the American Political Science Association.
In an email about what he hopes to accomplish in his new position, Coleman said he wants to make sure the university is expanding opportunities for engagement in research, study abroad programs and internships.
“In the curriculum, we’ll want to find ways to add flexibility through online options, a greater mix of courses beyond the standard full-semester 3-credit hour class, and pull together new interdisciplinary minors and other options,” Coleman added.
The incoming Provost emphasized the need to be “attentive every day” to how the overall student experience is being improved and “how a campus that truly makes diversity, inclusion, and belonging central to how we operate,” is being ensured.
Coleman said he’d also want UIUC “to be a campus that models how there can be dialogue, even amidst passionate disagreement, across difference.”
He said it troubled him to see surveys from across the U.S. showing that students from across the political spectrum are “wary of sharing their views and religious beliefs.”
“Why wait for other institutions to figure this out?” Coleman asked. “Let Illinois set the model for robust and productive dialogue and discussion.”
Other areas of focus for Coleman included finances, mental health, and supporting students towards career pathways.
“Students want a life with meaning and they want to have a positive impact on the world, which is entirely consistent with my interest in having us think about how we as an institution can be the best for the world in what we do.” Coleman said.
Jones ended his email by mentioning a simple yet profound statement made by Coleman during the evaluation process that became a “defining moment in the search.”
Jones said Coleman told the committee he believed Illinois should not only be the best University “in” the world, but also “for” the world.
“This kind of bold thinking — setting the very highest expectations for us when our society’s needs have never been greater — resonated with so many of us because it is so true to the spirit of innovation and service that has defined our university for 155 years,” Jones said.
Jones also said Coleman’s “appointment is pending approval by the Board of Trustees, and he will hold the title of ‘designate’ until that time.”
