What’s a “Provost”?
by Joan Baum, Ph.D
Once upon a time someone noticed that when you go to buy large
olives you have a hard time trying to distinguish large from
giant, colossal, or super.
Then there’s the confusion about titles in the financial
industry: what’s a CEO that’s not a COO or the
company president or chairman of the board, and who gets indicted
first as most (ir)responsible? With a new academic semester
about to start, add this timely query: What’s a provost
and how does he or she differ from a vice president, dean,
CAO or other top-level academic officer? The average student—not
to mention faculty member—does not know what a provost
is or does. One wag—a former provost from CUNY–suggests
that a provost is essentially a vice president given a ceremonial
title in order to make more money.
“Provost” comes from the past participle of L.
praepositus, meaning “placed at the head” or “set
before or over.” Early use was ecclesiastical: someone
who was the chief dignitary of a collegiate or cathedral chapter,
where “collegiate” was understood as part of the
Anglican university system, which well into the 19th century
was designed to prepare men for the professions, which meant
the church or law. A provost was the administrative official
charged with policy and procedures oversight, the person who
made sure that the university carried out its curricular duties
with proper regard for theological and moral imperatives. But
students and administrators take note: the word early on also
meant head of a prison! (And a restricted use in Scotland signified
a magistrate of a “burgh,” a kind of mayor.) Put
all these meanings together and you get provost: an administrator
who is second in line to the top person at an institution where
there are multiple divisions or departments. This extended
jurisdiction explains why small colleges tend not to have provosts.
According to Marymount Manhattan
College (MMC) President Judson R. Shaver, whose former position
was as Provost at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, the position
of provost exists typically where there is more than one
academic division dean. Of course, he notes, different schools
make their own arrangements, but where there is a provost
that person is typically the number two officer, after the
president, and acts for the president in his stead. Where
a school has several academic divisions (Science, Arts and
Humanities, Social Sciences, etc.) it usually has an academic
vice president to whom the deans of these divisions report
and that academic vice president then reports to the provost,
who in turn reports to the president. At small liberal arts
colleges such as MMC where there is no provost, the second
in command tends to be the Academic Vice President who is the
chief academic officer (CAO), a kind of first among equals
where there are other vice presidents (Administration, Student
Affairs, Institutional Development). As for distinguishing
among all those other academic ranks, gradations and titles
that universities hold dear—special presidential assistants,
executive assistants, and associates and deans of all kind
and degree—well, the curious are well advised to go with
the flowchart.#
