Greenwood Asher & Associates Retained by Murray State for Provost Search
December 12, 2025 – Miramar Beach, FL-based executive recruitment firm Greenwood Asher & Associates has been selected by Murray State University to lead in its search for a vice president of academic affairs and provost. Jeremy Duff and Lois Stetson are leading the assignment. The provost will play a pivotal role in advancing academic excellence, expanding opportunity, and ensuring that Murray State continues to serve as a regional leader in higher education. This is an exciting time for the school, with $200 million in capital projects allocated toward new facilities.
The provost serves as the university’s chief academic officer and provides vision, leadership, and strategic oversight for all areas of academic affairs. This includes guiding academic programs, advancing research and creative activity, supporting faculty development, strengthening student success, and stewarding academic budgets and resources. The provost will be expected to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation, working closely with faculty, staff, students, and external partners to build on Murray State’s proud tradition while positioning the university to thrive in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape.
The next provost will be a visible and trusted leader who values transparency, cultivates strong relationships, and brings fresh ideas to advance Murray State’s mission. With the momentum of new presidential leadership, this is a defining opportunity to shape the academic enterprise, expand access, and deliver transformative educational experiences that meet the needs of today’s students and tomorrow’s communities, according to the job specification.
Candidates should have a terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., or appropriate terminal degree) from an accredited institution. The school is looking for a relational and collaborative leader who listens, communicates effectively, and inspires trust. A minimum of five years of academic administrative experience with responsibility for program development, accreditation, and budget oversight; direct experience with professional program accreditation is strongly preferred.
Those applying must have demonstrated success in managing complex academic portfolios and leading change with positive outcomes as well as a deep commitment to academic excellence, student success, and faculty development. Candidates must have strong financial skills and proven ability to align resources with institutional priorities. Evidence of transparent and inclusive decision making that engages faculty, staff, and students is also preferred.
Related: Greenwood Asher & Associates Seeking Provost for West Virginia University
Murray State offers a range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across liberal arts, sciences, business, education, health sciences, and more. The university emphasizes accessibility and regional engagement, serving students from diverse backgrounds with a mix of academic coursework, research opportunities, and extracurricular activities. Murray State operates with a focus on student success through advising, career services, and support resources while maintaining connections with local communities and industries.
Finding Higher Education Leaders
Greenwood Asher & Associates is an executive search firm with a diverse consulting team and extensive experience in executive search, consulting, and training for education markets including elementary, secondary, higher education, university systems, campuses and non-profit organizations including associations, service, and cultural institutions. The firm was acquired in 2020 by Kelly Education, a global leader in workforce management solutions offering staffing services to top companies.
Greenwood Asher & Associates Assists Hampshire College Recruit 9th President
Greenwood Asher & Associates has placed Jennifer Chrisler as the 9th president of Hampshire College. “Jennifer Chrisler’s exemplary leadership has already proven essential for the college, with a combination of vision and resilience that makes her a perfect fit for us as an experimenting institution,” said Jose Fuentes, chair of Hampshire’s board. “In her, we have a steady and savvy financial hand, as well as a strategist who can see the macro trends in higher education and forge an innovative future for both Hampshire and the liberal arts.”
“I can’t think of a better person to take the reins at Hampshire College right now than Jennifer Chrisler,” said filmmaker Ken Burns , an alum of the college and co-chair of its Change in the Making campaign. “She has lived our recent past and knows the workings and the secret sauce of the college at every level. I look forward to working with her over the coming months and years as Hampshire continues to be the groundbreaking laboratory of higher education in the country.”
As vice president of executive search, Mr. Duff brings the knowledge and experience of leading hundreds of high-profile executive level searches in the U.S. and worldwide in the private and public sectors. He previously served as managing director for the University of Virginia’s executive search group within the office of the president. In this role, he conducted senior leadership searches for the university and executive searches for university foundations. Mr. Duff also led the creation of the University of Virginia’s talent recruitment operation and served as a principal with DHR Global.
As a senior executive search consultant at Greenwood Asher & Associates, Ms. Stetson has broad recruitment expertise filling various senior positions. Prior to her current role, she was a paralegal, both for a private law firm and with the State of Florida. In these roles, she adeptly managed a range of cases, offering critical support to attorneys during both criminal and civil proceedings, as well as trials.
Related: Greenwood Asher & Associates Assists Southeast Missouri State University with President Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
