Sue Ott Rowlands has accepted the offer to become NKU’s next Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, according to an email sent to NKU faculty and students by President Geoffrey Mearns earlier this morning.

Ott Rowlands currently serves as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech and will replace current VP for Academic Affairs and Provost Gail Wells.

Ott Rowlands will take the position as of Jan. 6, 2014.

“I was thrilled to be offered the position,” Ott Rowlands said. She said she likes the diverse amount of programs that are offered at NKU.

In addition to serving at Virginia Tech, Ott Rowlands has worked at the University of Toledo, Ohio State University and Webster University in the United States. She has also taught in Sri Lanka, Hungary and New Zealand.

Mearns said Ott Rowlands was an “ideal choice” due to her “collaborative and engaging leadership style, her commitment to student success and her experience consistent with our anticipated strategic plan.”

Ott Rowlands said that transdisciplinary initiatives are important because they allow us to gain expertise in certain areas and gives us a variety of viewpoints on certain areas. She hopes that transdisciplinary teaching and research cand be implemented across the university.

“I think it can provide a very rich educational experience,” Rowlands said.

Current VP for Academic Affairs and Provost Wells has served in the position for the past 10 years and will “step up” to the faculty as of January 2014.

The search committee to find the VP for Academic Affairs and Provost was led by Vice President for Planning, Policy, and Budget Sue Hodges Moore and the Dean of the College of Informatics Kevin Kirby.

Check out these previous articles from The Northerner.com for more information about Wells’ time at NKU, the announcement of her departure from the Provost position at NKU and a breakdown of the other final candidates that were selected by the search committee for this position.

• https://www.thenortherner.com/news/2013/10/25/search-for-new-university-provost-underway/
• https://www.thenortherner.com/news/2013/02/14/provost-plans-for-transition-into-faculty/
• https://www.thenortherner.com/feature-on-homepage/2013/01/31/breaking-provost-announces-retirement/

See the emails sent by Mearns by clicking below.

•  [nkuall] Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

EDIT: Included quotes from Ott Rowlands @ 9:44 p.m., Oct. 31.