Diversified Search Lands Provost for John Jay College of Criminal Justice
August 22, 2018 – Executive search firm Diversified Search has placed former California State University executive Yi Li as the new provost and vice president of academic affairs at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. The nationwide search was led by Andrew Wheeler, managing director and practice leader of the firm’s education and non-profit practice, and senior managing director Kim Morrisson
Dr. Li brings more than three decades of higher education leadership, including award-winning research, scholarship and a proven track record for increasing gender and ethnic diversity in STEM programs and launching innovative student success programs.
Previously, Dr. Li was provost and vice president of academic affairs at California State University, Northridge. There, he also served as a professor of mathematics. During his time at Northridge, Dr. Li made diversity and inclusion one of his top priorities, recruiting, mentoring and retaining faculty and staff committed to building a supportive community for all people. Earlier in his career, Dr. Li served as dean in the college of science and mathematics at Wright State University. In addition, he was professor and chair of the department of mathematics at the University of Iowa, associate professor at the University of Rochester and instructor at the University of Chicago.
“What I realized during the interview process was how committed the faculty and staff are to their students’ success,” said Dr. Li. “My goal is to really support them, improving student retention and graduation rates. I’d like to help the faculty and staff provide a transformative experience for our students.”
John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York. It was founded as the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the U.S. The college is known for its criminal justice, forensic science, forensic psychology and public affairs programs.
Veteran Recruiters
Headquartered in Philadelphia, Diversified Search is the largest U.S. female-owned and -founded firm in the executive recruitment industry. It has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Diversified is the U.S. partner of AltoPartners, an international alliance of 58 independent executive search firms that spans 35 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.
Diversified Search’s Mr. Wheeler has served a wide range of clients, including research intensive institutions, medical schools, liberal arts colleges and museums. Prior to joining the firm in 2003, he spent four years with Heidrick & Struggles.
Dr. Morrisson works in Diversified Search’s education, non-profit, and arts and culture practice. She has more than 20 years experience conducting executive search assignments for research universities, liberal arts colleges, academic medical centers, non-profit associations, foundations, public agencies, independent secondary schools, and companies that serve the educational sector. Before joining Diversified, Dr. Morrisson served as vice provost of the University of Pennsylvania
Provost Recruiting
Other schools have turned to executive search firms to find new provosts. Here’s a look at a few from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
The Colorado School of Mines, commonly known as Mines, recently enlisted Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, one of the nation’s leading boutique providers in the higher education space, to help find its next provost. Alberto Pimentel, the firm’s managing partner, and Salvador Venegas, senior associate, are leading the search.
Higher Education Leadership Search has helped place Debbie Landry as the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northeastern State University (NSU) in Tahlequah, OK. Dr. Landry served as the interim provost for nearly a year. Consultants Bill Meehan and Alan Medders led the assignment.
Ithaca College recently named La Jerne Cornish as its new provost and SVP for academic affairs. Witt/Kieffer was enlisted to conduct the assignment. For the past four years, Dr. Cornish has been associate provost of Goucher College. Dr. Cornish joins the school in July, succeeding Linda Petrosino.
Greenwood / Asher & Associates recruited Susan Edwards as the new executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of Wright State University in Fairborn, OH. President Jan Greenwood and vice president Betty Turner Asher led the assignment. Ms. Edwards was previously vice provost for faculty affairs at Appalachian State University.
Academic Search has placed Michael J. Lane as the new provost and VP of academic affairs for Savannah State University. Senior consultants Mac A. Stewart and Maya Kirkhope led the assignment. He comes to the school from Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, where he served as dean and professor over the college of arts and sciences since 2012.
Heidrick & Struggles’ higher education specialty team recruited Dwight McBride as the provost and chief academic officer of Emory University. Mr. McBride was previously the dean of the graduate school and associate provost for graduate education at Northwestern University. The provost search advisory committee was co-chaired by professors Carol Anderson and Carlos del Rio.
Wheless Partners has placed Michael Galvean as provost and SVP of academic affairs at Texas Tech University. Mike (JR) Wheless led the assignment. Previously, Dr. Galvean served as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. Past provost Lawrence Schovanec left the post to become the 17th president of the university.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
