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Dear members of the U of M community,
I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Karen Hanson will be the University of Minnesota's new senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, pending approval by the Board of Regents. Dr. Hanson has served as the provost and executive vice president at Indiana University Bloomington since 2007. She, like me, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, receiving her bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and mathematics from the Twin Cities campus in 1970. She received her doctorate in philosophy from Harvard in 1980. View her curriculum vitae online.
With Dr. Hanson as provost, we get the spectacular combination of a leader with a strong academic record and someone who has honed her skills as a seasoned administrator. Her experience at another Big Ten and AAU institution demonstrates she's ready to take on the challenges facing the U. I am especially pleased that Dr. Hanson comes here with a stellar disciplinary background in philosophy and the broader humanities, which complements my background as a scientist and chemical engineer. I couldn't be more excited to welcome her back to the U.
Dr. Hanson will begin in her new position on February 1, 2012. Tom Sullivan will stay on as provost until then. I want to thank Tom for his many years of service and for agreeing to continue to serve until Dr. Hanson arrives. I also want to thank the provost search committee, and especially Vice President for Research Tim Mulcahy for chairing this process. Lastly, I want to thank everyone who took the time to participate in the on-campus forums, who watched them online, or who filled out the online evaluations of the finalists. I am exceptionally pleased with the end result, and I look forward to working with Dr. Hanson, the rest of my leadership team, and, indeed, all of you to continue to strengthen this great university.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
President
