Provost Leadership Transition

October 22, 2020

Dear Members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,

As a follow-up to the September 9 email from President Holloway regarding Prabhas Moghe’s promotion to Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (EVPAA), I am pleased to provide you with an update on the New Brunswick Provost position.

First, however, I would like to thank Dr. Moghe for his visionary leadership as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Research and Academic Affairs. In addition to successfully establishing a new Provost office to oversee academic planning and faculty development, and leading the campus-wide transition to remote learning at the onset of the pandemic, Prabhas has also played an integral role in elevating research as a core function of academic excellence. As EVPAA, he will continue to foster research collaboration both within and across chancellor-led units. The Office of Research and Innovation and the Office of Research and Economic Development will also migrate to the EVPAA’s Office to continue serving as a vibrant nucleus of convergent research initiatives university-wide. I have full confidence that Dr. Moghe will continue to serve Rutgers well in his new role as he works closely on emergent academic imperatives at Rutgers.

In alignment with my vision to increase the academic standing and profile of New Brunswick, while keeping with the broader leadership values articulated by President Holloway, I am delighted to appoint Francine Conway as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs effective November 1, 2020. The goal was to hire an academic who is highly respected and distinguished in academia, with higher educational administrative leadership experience, knowledge of both opportunities and challenges at New Brunswick, and a deep commitment to integrating excellence and equity. In Francine, we have clearly found an academic leader who has the experience, expertise, empathy, and proven results required to navigate the complex environment we now face. Dr. Conway is an award-winning scholar and clinical psychologist recognized for her work in child psychopathology. She has served as a distinguished professor and the Dean of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology since 2016, providing strong academic and administrative leadership. I hope you take a moment to learn more about her research, experience, and commitment to serving the public good.

As Dr. Conway and I work together in the coming weeks and months to create a plan to strategically advance our goals, we will engage the university community—faculty, staff, students, and industry and community partners—to listen to their ideas and concerns. As the chief academic officer for New Brunswick, she will also collaborate with the deans to advance the academic mission. We have much work to do to realize our full potential as an academic powerhouse and beloved community, and I believe that Francine is the right partner to champion and lead the pursuit of these goals.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Conway and wishing her much success in her new role.

Warmly,

Christopher Molloy