Arash Mafi, currently dean of KU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been announced as the university’s next provost, and chief academic officer, and executive vice chancellor of the Lawrence campus.
In addition, Jennifer Roberts, currently KU’s senior vice provost of academic affairs, will fill the role of CLAS dean.
In November, provost Barbara Bichelmeyer announced that she would be stepping down from her administrative role at the university. Per an article from the University Daily Kansan, Bichelmeyer wants to move into to a faculty role.
Chancellor Doug Girod announced Mafi’s and Roberts’ selections in a statement to colleagues Thursday.
“Since joining KU in 2023, Arash has distinguished himself as a thoughtful and effective leader, and his experience leading the College positions him to immediately advance ongoing initiatives while also shaping new strategies for the future,” Girod wrote in the announcement. “In particular, he has successfully navigated budget challenges while enhancing student success, expanding research and strengthening partnerships across our campuses in support of our One KU initiative.”
Girod wrote that Roberts “has served at every faculty rank and in a wide range of leadership roles, including geology department chair, vice provost for graduate studies, and senior vice provost for academic affairs.
“Through these experiences, she has developed a deep understanding of the College and our broader academic enterprise,” Girod wrote. “As such, her appointment brings stability and continuity for the College community.”
Mafi and Roberts will begin their new roles Monday, March 2, and Mafi will then seek the next person to fill Roberts’ vice provost role, Girod wrote.
Girod did not anticipate announcing the two appointments at once, he wrote.
“But our comprehensive provost search, which included multi-day interviews and feedback from more than 900 faculty and staff, made clear we had an exceptionally strong pool of finalists,” he wrote. “Given this, when I offered Arash the provost position, we agreed that Jen’s experience, credibility and deep institutional knowledge make her uniquely prepared to seamlessly transition into this role and lead the College with confidence and consistency.”
The other two finalists for the provost position were Michelle Mohr Carney, dean of KU’s School of Social Welfare, and Donna Ginther, professor of economics and director of KU’s Institute for Policy and Social Research, the Kansan reported.
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