James Holloway was officially named the new provost for the University of New Mexico, according to an announcement made by the University last week.
“Dr. Holloway is an inspired choice for UNM Provost and we are thrilled to welcome him and his family to Albuquerque and to the Lobo community,” said President Garnett Stokes in a written statement.
Holloway previously served as Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Interdisciplinary Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan, and was selected for the position at UNM following a nearly six-month long search process.
“It’s exciting for me to think about the idea of coming and helping and supporting the mission of an institution that is so important,” Holloway said during a forum with UNM faculty on March 25.
A 20-person search team — consisting of UNM professors, students and administrators — selected Holloway for the position. Holloway was one of the final two candidates for the position, with the other one being Michael Benedik of Texas A&M University.
The duties of the provost cover many different areas. According to UNM, these responsibilities include overseeing faculty, community engagement and research. The provost also oversees the University’s accreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission, who recently completed their visit to UNM in early March.
Holloway spent most of his childhood in Thailand before earning degrees at the University of Illinois and the University of Virginia. He has worked at Michigan since 1990, first as an assistant professor of nuclear engineering, according to his biography.
The last person to hold the position was former-provost and University president, Chaouki Abdallah, who became the Vice President of Research at Georgia Tech in June, last year. Richard Wood has served as interim provost since then.
He will fill the position during a turbulent time at UNM. The University is experiencing low revenue due to declining enrollments, issues with faculty retention, and part-time and full-time faculty attempting to organize a union.
Holloway’s contract at UNM is set at five years at $320,000 per year and will begin his appointment July 1, according to a statement by University spokesperson Cinnamon Blair.
Kyle Land is a senior reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted by email at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @kyleoftheland.
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