Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, the first of three provost candidates to visit the University of Arizona campus last week, is officially out of the running.
Abd-El-Khalick, who currently serves as the dean of the School of Education at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, on Thursday accepted the provostship at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In his campus talk at the UA last week, the candidate seemed keen on the Arizona job.
“I could not think of a place with a better fit as I’m thinking about my next stage in my professional career,” he told the crowd at the time. “I’m looking forward to the possibility of engaging in a conversation around what would be the next decade for Arizona as you continue to grow.”
Abd-El-Khalick’s talk mainly centered around the importance he placed on recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and fundraising.
It’s worth noting that UMass Amherst, located in western Massachusetts, is currently operating with a strong budget surplus of over $100 million. That gives the incoming provost room to invest in academic programs and sets it apart from the UA, which is facing a $177 million deficit.
With UA President Robert C. Robbins announcing his impending resignation — he said earlier this week he’s leaving by June 2026, if not sooner — the provost position at the university became slightly less desirable. New university presidents usually like to choose their own provosts, meaning there could be less job security for the candidate picked by Robbins once a new president is hired.
Earlier this week, the provost search’s second finalist, Marie Hardin, gave her talk. Hardin is the current dean of the College of Communication at Pennsylvania State University.
The search is now between Hardin and a third candidate who has not been revealed yet. The third candidate is expected to visit the UA campus early next week.
