Minnesota State Mankato Announces 4 Finalists for Position of Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato announced today that four finalists have been named for the position of provost and senior vice president of academic affairs.
The four finalists are Laurie Couch, associate provost for undergraduate education & student success at Morehead State University (located in Morehead, Kentucky); Dennis Rome, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northeastern Illinois University (located in Chicago); Lara Luetkehans, interim provost & vice president at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (located in Indiana, Pennsylvania); and David Hood, associate provost for undergraduate education & founding dean, University College, Montclair State University (located in Montclair, New Jersey).
Minnesota State Mankato’s national search for a provost and senior vice president of academic affairs began in December.
Each of the finalists will travel to Minnesota State Mankato for on-campus interviews from March 21-25. Open interview sessions for the campus, public and media are listed below. The candidates’ curriculum vitae along with complete interview schedules and Zoom links are available online here.
- Dr. Laurie Couch
Open Session: Tuesday, March 22 from 10-11 a.m., Ostrander Auditorium; Zoom - Dr. Dennis Rome
Open Session: Wednesday, March 23 from 10-11 a.m., Ostrander Auditorium; Zoom - Dr. Lara Luetkehans
Open Session: Thursday, March 24 from 10-11 a.m., Ostrander Auditorium; Zoom - Dr. David Hood
Open Session: Friday, March 25 from 10-11 a.m., Armstrong Hall 101; Zoom
Media with questions may contact Dan Benson, director of media relations, by email at daniel.benson@mnsu.edu.
Marilyn Wells served as Minnesota State Mankato’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs from July 22, 2013 to Jan. 12, 2020, before accepting the position as chancellor at Penn State Brandywine.
Since Wells’ departure, two administrators have held the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs position in an interim capacity.
Matt Cecil served in the position from Jan. 13, 2020 to June 30, 2021, before being named provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Northern Kentucky University.
Brian Martensen followed Cecil, and Martensen has served as interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Minnesota State Mankato since July 1.
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 14,546 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.
