‘The right person to lead our academic enterprise.’ Penn State names executive VP, provost
Justin Schwartz is finally taking the “interim” designation off his title as Penn State’s executive vice president and provost.
Schwartz, who took on the interim role eight months ago, was named Sunday as the university’s permanent executive VP and provost. The official start date for the former dean of the College of Engineering is May 1.
“I am humbled and honored to serve this incredible institution as its next executive vice president and provost,” Schwartz said in a written statement. “Working with Neeli (Bendapudi) and her leadership team has been a privilege for the last eight months, and the opportunity now to partner with her and our entire community to implement her vision for the university is exciting.
“Our people are what make Penn State so special, and my success will be measured by the accomplishments of our deans and chancellors, our faculty and staff, and our students. I look forward to working collaboratively and embracing new ideas to advance the university’s land-grant mission and open doors for even greater excellence, innovation and impact on the communities we serve.”
Schwartz replaces former provost Nick Jones, who stepped down from his post last summer and was hired in October for an administrative role with the University of Illinois System. Schwartz has been with Penn State since 2017.
According to the university, Schwartz was selected following a national search conducted by a 19-member committee, co-chaired by chief of staff Michael Wade Smith and faculty senate chair Michele Stine. Search firm Russell Reynolds Associates assisted.
Schwartz was also one of four finalists for the open provost position at the University of Wisconsin. He offered a public presentation on the position earlier this month, although no provost there has yet been named.
“Justin is the right person to lead our academic enterprise to new levels of success, and I am thrilled that he is now a permanent member of the leadership team,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said in a news release. “Justin is a forward-thinking, collaborative leader with a proven record of recruiting and retaining talented, diverse faculty and staff, and investing in their development; of facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations that span academic domains; and creating opportunities for student academic, career and life success.”
Schwartz, who holds a doctorate in nuclear engineering from MIT, joined Penn State six years ago after fruitful stints at both Florida State and N.C. State. As the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean in the Penn State College of Engineering, he increased engineering’s tenure-line faculty by about 30% over four years and helped grow the college’s endowments by about $50 million every year. He also helped launch the Engineering Equity Initiative; helped create the Law, Policy and Engineering Initiative; and helped establish the Global Building Network.
The Chicago native will report directly to the president and will continue to serve as a member of President’s Council, as the chair of Penn State’s Council of Academic Deans, as the chair of Academic Leadership Council and as an ex officio member of the faculty senate and senate council. As the university’s chief academic officer, he will oversee all academic units within the university’s colleges, schools and campuses.
He boasts a 33-year career in higher education as an administrator, researcher and faculty member.
