Xavier University News April 2016 Xavier University Names New Provost Xavier University of Louisiana announced today that Dr. Anne McCall has been appointed Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. After an extensive national search, Dr. McCall was identified as the best of more than 100 candidates considered. She begins her appointment as provost-designate immediately and assumes the role of provost July 1, 2016. “Xavier is truly fortunate to have Dr. McCall as provost, and it is with great enthusiasm that I, on behalf of the University and the Board of Trustees, welcome her,” said Xavier President Dr. C. Reynold Verret. As provost, Dr. McCall will serve as a key member of the president’s leadership team and play a critical role in achieving the University’s goals. “I am honored to have been chosen to serve as provost at Xavier, and I am grateful to the Board of Trustees and President Verret for this opportunity,” said Dr. McCall. “Xavier is one of the United States’ outstanding institutions, and its history of ambition and accomplishment gives it a special place in higher education today. I am inspired by President Verret’s vision, and I am eager to help him achieve it.” Since taking office nearly a year ago, President Verret has made integrating the humanities with Xavier’s renowned STEM programs and serving today’s underserved populations top priorities. Dr. McCall, a French literary scholar, will support these efforts to strengthen Xavier’s niche in preparing well-rounded, learned students ready to assume roles of leadership and service in a global society. In her letter of candidacy, Dr. McCall wrote, “I have devoted my career to teaching, research, and service in small to mid-sized, comprehensive universities that put a premium on developing the potential of all students. . . As an academic community of great purpose with a complex portfolio of academic units, Xavier University brings liberal arts and professional education into a productive dialogue that must continue to evolve.” “Dr. McCall is the ideal candidate, in part because she understands Xavier’s unique mission and role as a historically Black and Catholic institution. Her deep appreciation for the values and traditions of Xavier, record of experience, and forward-thinking approach to the advancement of our mission, make her well-suited to help guide this University into the future, taking advantage of the opportunities and meeting the challenges of the times,” President Verret continued. As an accomplished academic and proven administrator, Dr. McCall brings an extensive range of experience to Xavier. She currently serves as Dean of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University. In this role, she provides academic, financial, and external leadership for the largest college within New York’s top-ranked public university. Harpur College enrolls over 10,000 students seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees through 26 departments as well as multiple interdisciplinary programs, centers, and institutes. Prior to serving as Dean of Harpur College, Dr. McCall was Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Denver and Associate Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science at Tulane University. “Having lived in New Orleans for 17 years while at Tulane, I have known of the strength of Xavier’s academic programs, its social justice mission, and the success of its students. I am excited to assist Dr. Verret and the faculty as we seek to build on the University’s core identity and academic strengths to make it an even better institution,” said Dr. McCall. Dr. McCall’s priorities will be supporting the faculty, enriching curricula, boosting enrollment, and securing the financial health of the institution. “The dedicated faculty and staff at Xavier do amazing work on behalf of students, and it will be my job to make sure they have the resources and support needed to enhance their efforts,” said Dr. McCall. Dr. McCall earned a bachelor of arts in French and in German with highest distinction from the University of Virginia and the degree of docteur ès lettres from the Université Strasbourg. An authority on the work of the 19th-century French novelist, playwright, and memoirist George Sand, she is past president of the George Sand Association and has authored and edited books and published more than 25 scholarly articles on nineteenth-century French literature and related topics. Dr. McCall was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Cincinnati, OH. In her spare time, she enjoys learning about cultures around the world, traveling, and spending time with family. She looks forward to returning to New Orleans and enjoying the city’s live Jazz music. Dr. McCall is filling the position left vacant by Dr. Loren Blanchard, who was appointed last year as executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs for the California State University, the largest four-year public university system in the United States. The position of provost has been held on an interim basis by Dr. Deidre Labat since the start of the Fall semester. SANDRA M. 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