Finalists named for provost position, interviews scheduled

Three candidates will interview on campus in January for Grand Valley’s position of provost and executive vice president for Academic and Student Affairs.

They are Denise Cobb, interim provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; Jann Joseph, executive vice chancellor at Indiana University South Bend; and Stephen L. Esquith, dean, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University. Details about each candidate are below.

The campus community is invited to attend the open sessions on the Allendale Campus with each candidate. Interview dates are listed below. Each presentation will be simulcast to locations at the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

• Denise Cobb: Thursday, January 12, presentation from 2-2:30 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room, followed by open meeting and Q&A from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Simulcast locations: DeVos Center, room 109D, and Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, room 115.

Friday, January 13, open meeting and Q&A from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the DeVos Center, Regency Room

• Jann Joseph: Tuesday, January 17, presentation from 2-2:30 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room, followed by open meeting and Q&A from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Simulcast locations: DeVos Center, room 107D, and Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, room 115.

Wednesday, January 18, open meeting and Q&A from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the DeVos Center, Regency Room

• Stephen L. Esquith: Thursday, January 19, presentation from 2-2:30 p.m. in the Cook-DeWitt Center, followed by open meeting and Q&A from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Simulcast locations: DeVos Center, room 109D, and Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, room 115.

Friday, January 20, open meeting and Q&A from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the DeVos Center, Regency Room

Candidate brief bios

Cobb was named interim provost in 2015. Since 2012 she has served as assistant provost for Academic Innovation and Effectiveness and then associate provost for Academic Affairs. Cobb joined the SIUE faculty in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice in 2003. In 2010, she was named director of assessment.

Cobb earned a doctorate in sociology from Tulane University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Central Arkansas.

Joseph has served as executive vice chancellor at IUSB since 2014, after serving as dean of the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University. Joseph had served as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley from 2006-2011.

She earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction (science education) from the University of Wisconsin. Joseph’s master's degree is in plant science and her bachelor’s degree is in agriculture, both from the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Esquith has served as dean of MSU’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities since 2006. He earned a doctorate in politics and philosophy from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.

He joined MSU’s faculty in 1980 and now serves as professor of philosophy. He has served as chair of philosophy in addition to other academic appointments. Esquith’s major publications include "Intimacy and Spectacle: Liberal Theory as Political Education" (Cornell, 1994) and "The Political Responsibilities of Everyday Bystanders" (Penn State, 2010).

Each candidate will make a 25-minute presentation on a topic relevant to academic and student affairs and Grand Valley.