Jeff Holm will chair Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs search; listening session set for June 21

Jeff Holm, vice provost for strategic programming and special initiatives, will chair a national search for a vice provost for faculty affairs at UND.

A listening session to gather thoughts about the characteristics, experiences, and skills to emphasize and actively seek in a successful candidate is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 21. AGB Search will take part. Please use this Zoom link to attend.

The announcement was made by Eric Link, UND provost and vice president for academic affairs. Link has requested the committee adopt a timetable for the search that will permit an appointment at the earliest reasonable date.  A start date of Jan. 1, 2023, or earlier is preferable, but a start date as late as July 1, 2023, is possible for the ideal candidate.

“The vice provost for Faculty Affairs will fill a critical role in advancing the academic mission of the University of North Dakota, providing leadership and vision for all aspects of the faculty experience, and working to build an ecosystem of faculty excellence, opportunity, achievement, shared governance, and support at the institution,” Link said. “I would like to extend my thanks to Jeff Holm for his leadership and to all the members of the committee whose unique perspectives will be vital as we conduct this search.”

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Search Committee

• Jeff Holm, search chair, vice provost for strategic programming and special initiatives
• Stephanie Peterson, UND Alumni Association and Foundation
• Tyler Niemi, Student Representative
• Cindy Juntunen, Dean, College of Education and Human Development
• Brett Venhuizen, Professor and Department Chair, Aviation
• Cristina Oancea, Associate Professor, Population Health, and University Senate Chairperson
• Bob Newman, Professor, Biology, and University Senate Vice Chairperson
• Ursula Running Bear, Assistant Professor, Population Health
• Kay Powell, Lecturer, Middleton School of Entrepreneurship & Management
• Alex Pokornowski, Dean of Students
• Taylor Hanson-Wald, Provost Administrative Staff Representative

The committee charge includes conducting the search, evaluating candidates, conducting initial interviews, hosting finalists, and submitting an unranked list of acceptable candidates to the provost. The committee will ensure that all stakeholder groups have the opportunity to participate in the process and/or provide feedback on the finalists. The search committee will be assisted by AGB Search in this process.

About Jeff Holm

Jeff Holm serves as the vice provost for strategic programming and special initiatives at UND. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Ohio University after completing his residency at the University of Mississippi Medical School and the Jackson Veterans Administration Hospital. He has served as the director of clinical training and the chair of the Department of Psychology, as well as the senior scientist in the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In this latter role, he and his collaborators developed and evaluated several community health projects focused on developing best practices for preventing chronic diseases and improving health behaviors and outcomes for economically disadvantaged persons. He has also served in numerous leadership roles in professional groups, including president of The North Dakota Psychological Association and chair of the North Dakota State Board of Psychologist Examiners.

As UND’s vice provost for strategic programming and special initiatives, Holm has worked to assist the president, provost, and deans to expand flexible online educational opportunities for UND’s current and future students, while also ensuring that support services for the expansion in place. His recent efforts have focused on increasing competency-based adaptive learning, and hyflex course and program options; integrating real-world, work experiences into academic coursework and programs; opening new channels for reaching those underserved by higher education; and collaborating with other institutions to increase access, streamline processes, and remove barriers to higher education. He continues to work directly with students and greatly enjoys teaching two competency-based, non-term courses in psychology.

About the vice provost for faculty affairs

The vice provost for faculty affairs (VPFA) will oversee all aspects of faculty life at UND, including faculty hiring and onboarding, tenure and promotion policy and processes, post-tenure review processes and policy, faculty professional development, administrative coaching and leadership training, policy development and implementation related to faculty affairs initiatives, and all issues related to academic personnel, including managing the faculty grievance processes and working to resolve faculty issues as they arise.

The vice provost will provide leadership and administrative oversight to faculty award and recognition initiatives at the university level. Under the direction of the provost, the position will provide administrative support to endowed chair and executive leadership searches, as well as lead the Chairs Council and establish onboarding, training, and ongoing professional development for new academic administrators at UND.

They will work to build a dynamic, diverse, and accomplished faculty at the university, and in so doing will directly enhance and grow the reputation and standing of the University of North Dakota within the state, the region, and the nation.