Administration seeks student input on provost


Vice Provost for Student Affairs Ainsley Carry is meeting with students throughout the rest of the semester to gather feedback on qualities they want in the new provost. The search for a new provost comes after outgoing Provost Elizabeth Garrett accepted the president position at Cornell University in late September.

Student input has never been used before in the search for a top administration officer. According to Carry, it was President Nikias’ initiative to involve students.

“President Nikias wanted student input in the process,” Carry said. “Part of my assignment is to gather student input and bring it back to the [selection] committee.”

To reach out to these student organizations, Carry enlisted the help of his staff in Student Affairs to ask student groups if they’d like to speak about the provost search.

Carry has already met with the Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, Undergraduate Student Government and Recreational Sports. He is also planning to meet with other groups, including international students, student leaders in Residential Student Government and graduate students.

So far Carry has gathered two major qualities desired in the new provost: accessibility and a dual commitment to academics and student life.

“No students want us to lose any ground in this tract to be the best academic institution we can be, but at the same time no students want to lose any part of the USC experience — living in Los Angeles, great athletic tradition and quality student life,” Carry said.

Carry also said applications might even come from within the existing USC community, citing President Nikias and former Provost Garrett as examples of USC administrators who moved up in rank. President Nikias was the dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering and Garrett was a professor in the USC Gould School of Law before their most recent positions.

Carry hopes a new provost can assume office by the next school year. In addition to holding public meetings, Carry encouraged students to reach out electronically via surveys that USG will be emailing out.