Provost Kennedy to step down, make way for new president’s choice

University of Connecticut Provost Craig Kennedy will be stepping down from his post after less than a year, citing a desire to allow the new president to choose their own provost to work with.

“As the relationship between a president and the leader of the university’s academic enterprise is so critical, I believe that the next president should be free to select the provost of their choice when they arrive at UConn,” Kennedy wrote in an email sent out to faculty on Tuesday. “This will allow the next president to select a provost based on their own academic priorities, vision for the institution, and their specific preferences regarding the individual who fulfills this role.”

Kennedy will step down from his role on March 1. President Susan Herbst named Dean of UConn’s School of Business John Elliott as the interim provost in an email sent out to faculty on Tuesday, soon after Kennedy’s email was sent.

Kennedy held his post since April 2018, (http://dailycampus.com/stories/2017/11/30/uconn-president-announces-selection-of-new-provost) after former provost Mun Choi announced his resignation earlier in the year. He was named as the new provost and executive vice president of academic affairs in November 2017, after a one-year search by the university.

Despite his short tenure, Kennedy wrote that his time at UConn was “nonetheless rewarding and productive.”

Herbst remarked on Kennedy’s resignation in her email, thanking him for his service to UConn and highlighting Elliott’s accomplishments and work both at UConn and Baruch College at City University of New York (CUNY).

Kennedy will be returning to faculty after he officially steps down, according to UConn Today.

Marlese Lessing is the news editor for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at marlese.lessing@uconn.edu. She tweets @marlese_lessing.