Jan. 12, 2016
Dear faculty, staff and students:
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Maurie McInnis of the University of Virginia has accepted my offer to serve as UT's new executive vice president and provost. Dr. McInnis was clearly the top candidate in an extensive national search. She begins her appointment as provost-designate immediately and assumes the role of provost July 1, 2016.
Serving as the chief academic officer for the university, Dr. McInnis brings broad experience to her new role in academic leadership at one of the best public research universities in the nation. She will help us reach the goals I have laid out for creating more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among our colleges and schools and transforming our degree programs.
Currently the vice provost for academic affairs at UVA, Dr. McInnis is a renowned scholar in the cultural history of American art in the colonial and antebellum South. Dr. McInnis received a B.A. from UVA in 1988 and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University.
As vice provost, Dr. McInnis has strengthened academic connections between UVA's colleges and helped develop innovative educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Prior to her role as vice provost, Dr. McInnis served as the associate dean for undergraduate academic programs in the College and Graduate Schools of Arts and Sciences.
She also teaches undergraduate courses in Art History and American Studies, including an innovative multi-disciplinary lecture class focused on the history and culture of the slave South. Her scholarship focuses on the relationship between politics and art in early America. Her most recent book, "Slaves Waiting for Sale: Abolitionist Art and the American Slave Trade", was awarded the Charles C. Eldredge Book Prize from the Smithsonian American Art Museum for outstanding scholarship in American Art and the Library of Virginia Literary Award for non-fiction. Her scholarship has been long engaged with public history, and she has worked regularly with museums and historic sites. More details on Dr. McInnis' scholarship, research and accomplishments are available on her website.
I am excited to have Dr. McInnis join the university's leadership team as the chief academic officer. While provost-designate, she will visit the campus throughout the spring semester. In addition to her role as provost, the College of Liberal Arts will be seeking Dr. McInnis' appointment as the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities #1 in the Department of American Studies.
The consultative committee did an outstanding job with a very thorough search process. I especially thank Dr. Laura Starks, interim dean of the McCombs School of Business, as the chair of the committee.
Finally, I am grateful that Dr. Judy Langlois has stepped up repeatedly to fill leadership roles during transitions at UT and will have served a year as interim provost. She has been a very effective provost, accomplishing a great deal while continuing her research in psychology.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Maurie McInnis to UT.
Sincerely,
Gregory L. Fenves
President