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Distributed February 2002
Contact Mark Nickel

The provost was originally a general executive officer for the University, taking over the main duties of administrative management in order to free the president for matters of policy and special projects. The office was created in June 1949 by the Advisory and Executive Committee of the Corporation. The first provost was Samuel T. Arnold, who had been dean of the University.

The provost is now the senior academic officer of the University, in charge of libraries, computing and other academic areas including administration and budgets of various deans. He or she serves as second-in-command and presides over the affairs of the University in the president’s absence.

In 1978, when Maurice Glicksman assumed the office of provost, he continued with many of his former responsibilities as dean of the faculty and academic affairs, and was given a new title: provost and dean of the faculty. The provost and dean of the faculty positions were separated again after Glicksman’s tenure, which ended in 1990.

Provosts of the University include:

1. Samuel T. Arnold (served 1949 to 1956)
2. Zenas R. Bliss (served 1957 to 1965)
3. Merton P. Stoltz (served 1966 to 1978)
4. Maurice Glicksman (served 1978 to 1990)
5. Frank G. Rothman (served 1990 to 1994)
6. James T. Pomerantz (served 1995 to 1998)
7. William S. Simmons (served 1998 to 1999)
8. Kathryn T. Spoehr (served 1999 to 2001)
9. Robert J. Zimmer (2002 to 2006)
10. David I. Kertzer (July 2006 –)

(Adapted from “Provost” in Encyclopedia Brunoniana by Martha Mitchell.)

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