Seymour stepping down as provost

Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Charlena Seymour today announced that she will resign from her post at the end of the academic year.

Seymour, named to her current position in 2004, will continue to serve while the campus conducts a national search for a replacement. After a replacement is named, Seymour will consider various options to continue at UMass.

“Charlena’s years of dedicated service to this institution are not only laudable, but they’ve come at a time when the University required the thoughtful leadership that has been the hallmark of her tenure as provost,” Chancellor Robert C. Holub said. “Charlena’s undying commitment to faculty excellence, her grace in the face of sometimes difficult circumstances, and her ability to build positive relationships across the institution has served her and UMass Amherst well.”

Seymour said, “I am fortunate to contribute to the life of a university that I care about deeply. I believe that UMass Amherst has made great strides in the past several years, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues as the university continues its exceptional achievements.”

Seymour earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Howard University and her master’s and doctorate degrees in speech and hearing science from The Ohio State University. Prior to her service as provost, she served as dean of the Graduate School from 1994 to 2001 and was chair of the Department of Communication Disorders from 1984-92. She joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1971, was an associate professor from 1978-89, when she was promoted to professor. She was named interim provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs in 2001 before being named to the position permanently following a national search in 2004.

“Charlena has much to be proud of during her time in the leadership of the campus, and it is incumbent on us to build upon this,” Holub said. “In doing so, we not only honor Charlena, but we can build an even stronger university going forward. UMass is in Charlena’s debt, and her example of dedicated public service will guide us all going forward.” In her role as provost, Seymour led initiatives that transformed faculty and graduate student recruitment, retention, mentoring and development. Some of these programs are currently being funded by the Mellon Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

In addition to her work on campus, Seymour has served as a national leader in higher education. She is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), a scientific and professional organization of more than 130,000 members, and served as president of ASHA in 1997. Prior to her ASHA presidency, she was elected ASHA vice president for quality of service and monitored all accreditation and certification programs. Last November, she received the HONORS of ASHA for lifetime achievement in research, teaching and service.

Seymour was the creative editor for the Communication Disorders Textbook Series published by Butterworth-Heinemann. She has numerous publications, has made national and international presentations about speech disorders, and co-edited an award winning textbook, “Introduction to Communication Disorders: A Multicultural Approach.”

Holub said he will act quickly to form a search committee with broad representation from campus to seek candidates, and that he expects the committee to begin its work right away.

October 1, 2008.

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