Provost accepting applications for 2024-25 Provost Faculty Fellows

Augusta University Provost Neil J. MacKinnon, PhD, has announced applications are now being accepted for the 2024-25 Provost Faculty Fellows, a program designed to provide eligible AU faculty members with leadership and administrative experiences to prepare a pipeline of future academic administrators and leaders at AU.

Two fellows will be accepted for the next cycle, which starts Aug. 1 and lasts for 12 months. The fellows will be tasked with working on university-wide projects, initiatives and strategies related to the academic enterprise with MacKinnon and the Provost Operations Management Team (POMT).

The inaugural class included Amy Abdulovic-Cui, PhD, and Vishal Arora, PhD. Candis Bond, PhD, and Vahé Heboyan, PhD, are the current Provost Fellows, serving through May 31.

“The first two classes of Provost Fellows were a tremendous success. Each of the first four fellows set a high bar for and have demonstrated the value of this program,” MacKinnon said. “It’s important to me that our faculty be equipped with the tools and knowledge they need to continue to grow and advance in their careers, and that includes giving them hands-on experiences of being involved in decisions at the top of our university so that they understand the whole academic operations. I strongly encourage eligible faculty who have an interest in a future leadership role to consider applying.”

The third year of the program will start Aug. 1, 2024, and continuing through July 31, 2025. Any full-time AU faculty member, in either a tenure-track or non-tenure track position at the rank of associate professor or professor, is eligible to apply.

Applications should be submitted before Jan. 8, 2024.

The one-year fellowship is primarily project-based, with the POMT proposing several potential projects and the fellow and provost choosing two to three for the fellow to lead. The fellow will also attend POMT meetings, the Provost Operations Management Team huddle and other administrative meetings.

The Office of the Provost will provide 50% of the faculty member’s salary and benefits for the one-year period of the fellowship. For faculty on an academic year contract (who are paid August to May), the Office of the Provost will provide a stipend for 50% effort in June and July when the faculty member typically is not at AU.

If an academic year faculty member also receives a summer contract for teaching or another assignment, the cumulative pay from the fellow and summer appointments shall not exceed 33.3% of the faculty member’s regular nine-months compensation for the previous academic year, in accordance with the policy of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

Office space will also be provided at the Kelly Building. The fellow will give a presentation at the conclusion of the fellowship and will be included on the selection committee for the next year’s fellows.

Eligible faculty who are interested should apply by Jan. 8. Applicants should send the following materials to Sherry Walker:

1. A cover letter that describes their rationale for wanting to complete the fellowship and how it would help them in their career path of obtaining a leadership role in academia
2. A letter of support from their dean or senior academic leader of their unit
3. A curriculum vitae

For more information, email the Office of the Provost.