John Pauly. Photo courtesy of Marquette University
John Pauly will step down from his current position of provost at the end of the month and join the faculty of the College of Communication, the university announced in a news brief Wednesday afternoon.
Pauly, who has served as provost since 2008, will make the shift “to pursue his passion for teaching,” the release read. Before becoming provost, Pauly was the dean of the College of Communication for two years. He was also a professor at Saint Louis University for 13 years and the chairman of that university’s communication department.
“I appreciate the opportunity both Father Wild and Father Pilarz gave me to be the academic leader of such a fine university,” Pauly said in the brief. “I am proud that the initiatives of the last five years have helped Marquette enhance its academic quality and reputation during one of the most challenging economic periods in higher education history.”
As provost, Pauly has overseen academic budgeting, institutional planning and the 10 academic deans and the dean of the libraries. Margaret Faut Callahan, currently the dean of the College of Nursing, will serve as the interim provost.
“John has left his mark on this campus through his leadership and commitment to collaboration with colleagues across the university,” University President the Rev. Scott Pilarz said in the release. “He was integral to increasing the diversity of the freshman class by more than 60 percent, reorganizing Marquette’s Center for Teaching and Learning to strengthen its support of faculty teaching, and increasing the university’s external research funding.”
According to the release, the university plans to undergo a nationwide search with the goal of having a permanent provost in place by July 1, 2014.
University spokesman Brian Dorrington said Pilarz and Pauly “worked on (the decision) together” and that Pilarz has been “very supportive.”
“The timing worked out in terms of university preparing for the future,” Dorrington said. “You look back at what Dr. Pauly has done, and his successes speak for themselves.”
Callahan thanked Pauly for his work and said financial stability, academic excellence and better recognizing the university’s staff are among her top goals as interim provost.
“The key here is that we have our eyes set firmly on the vision of the university, and then as a group we come together and decide how we can get to that point,” Callahan said. “It’s a big job with a very big responsibility, but no one can do this job or any senior leadership job without great teams.”
Callahan said her work on the university’s committees for its strategic plan and re-accreditation process, among other positions, had prepared her for the job.
“I’m so grateful to my friend and colleague John Pauly, who has really set us on a strong path for the future here at Marquette,” Callahan said. “I look forward to working with all members of the Marquette community in helping to move the university forward. We’re really positioned well now with the strategic plan, and I think our work going forward is very clear.”
College of Communication Dean Lori Bergen, Pauly’s successor in that position, was unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon. Former University President the Rev. Robert A. Wild, who was president when Pauly took office in 2008, was also unavailable.