Message from the President (April 17, 2025)

Dear Marshall University community, 

As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, I want to share some important updates regarding the leadership of Academic Affairs. 

With the announcement by Provost Avi Mukherjee that he is leaving for another position, we have begun the process of a nationwide search. A search committee has been formed, with its first meeting set for April 22. Finalist interviews are scheduled for the week of September 22 on campus. It is our intention to have Marshall’s new provost on board by the start of the Spring 2026 semester. A full schedule of the search process, as well as a complete list of search committee members is available on the Provost Search website. 

Search committee members represent every academic college and our shared governance partners and will be chaired by Chief of Staff Ginny Painter and assisted by consultants Ann Hasselmo and Chris Butler of Academic Search. I appreciate committee members’ time and willingness to serve the university in this capacity, as they will play an integral role in shaping the future academic experiences of our students.

In the coming days, we will be adding a nomination/comment form to the website for our campus community to provide input directly to the search committee.

In the meantime, starting July 1, I’m happy to share that Dr. Robert “RB” Bookwalter has kindly agreed to delay his retirement from Marshall University to serve as interim provost.

RB has served the university since 1987 in a variety of positions including serving as the dean of two separate colleges.  Most recently, during his tenure as dean of the College of Liberal Arts,  he has been instrumental in advancing the college’s academic programs and fostering a student-first philosophy. His extensive experience and unwavering commitment to academic excellence make him an ideal choice to guide our academic affairs during this transitional period.

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Dr. RB Bookwalter as he embarks on his new role.

Sincerely,
Brad
Brad D. Smith
President