Former Bearcat joins administration

Shawna Kingston Photo Editor

Mottet fills provost position, dean search continues

Timothy Mottet performs one of his first acts as provost welcoming new students and during convocation at Advantage Week.

Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 12:00 pm

Joshua Phillips News Editor @NewsfromJP

Following the resignation of former provost Doug Dunham last spring, Northwest had to make a quick change to fulfill
the position.
Northwest brought in Dr. Timothy Mottet is the new provost and his job is serving as the chief academic officer of the
University. He will help manage faculty relations and academic departments.
Mottet heard about the open position this summer and said he was, attracted to the job description.
The more I got in to it, the more I wanted the job, Mottet said. The more I got invested in the interview process, the
more I learned about the leadership, where the University was today and I ended up saying to myself, I want this
job.
Mottet had not been to the campus since he was a student in 1980.
He completed some of his undergraduate studies here before attending William Jewell College for a bachelors
degree in communication and then heading to Boston University in Boston for a masters degree in mass
communication.
Mottet then attended West Virginia University for his education doctorate in communication and learning/higher
education.
His student-centeredness, classroom experience, academic planning and knowledge of academes pending
environmental changes complement his ongoing use of metrics and willingness to be bold and work collaboratively to
achieve ever-increasing expectations, said President Jasinski in a press release.
Mottet said his favorite part of returning to Northwest is the sensory overload of the beauty of the campus its
pretty spectacular.
As the new Provost for Northwest, Mottet said its intense; however, he said he likes the intensity and the challenges
the position presents. Mottet will also be working with the search for a dean of the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth
College of Business and Professional Studies.
Though it took the University only two months to hire a new provost, it still has taken the University three years to find
a full-time dean of the Booth College. Vice provost and dean of the graduate school Dr. Gregory Haddock has served
the last three years as the acting dean of the Booth College.
According to All That Jazz from Jasinski, to the Northwest faculty, the University is resuming the search for a dean
of the Booth College. Jasinski has asked several faculty and Northwest Student Senate President Cody Uhing to look
for a dean of the college. The committee will have until Nov. 26 to make a recommendation to Mottet.
Were challenging ourselves to find candidates in a modest amount of time. Its ambitious, but its not impossible,
Uhing said. Were taking a more active approach to finding someone than a more passive approach, (which) worked
for the provost and the dean of arts and sciences searches but we want an even bigger pool to go through.
Associate professor of mass communications Fred Lamer said the role of the dean is not just focused on student
success, but also is involved with faculty in the departments overseen by the dean.
The dean is charged with being an advocate of faculty and students within those departments, Lamer said. The
question I asked at the very first meeting we had this year is why is it taking so long?

Due to unexpected circumstances, previous searches have been cancelled either due to University or candidate
reasons.
For the last three years without a dean, the University has conducted different searches by advertising the position
through job sites. Northwest has even had different committees comprised of faculty members to search for a dean.
And still no positive results.
Uhing said the committee will make a recommendation by Mottet.