Teresa Sullivan addresses the Virginia Senate Finance Committee on April 1, 2014 in Richmond, Virginia. Photo Credit: Marshall Bronfin
Former president of University of Virginia and MSU alumna Teresa Sullivan officially took office as interim provost and executive vice president of academic affairs Tuesday after June Youatt resigned Sept. 5.
Sullivan assisted MSU during the presidential search for a permanent replacement following Lou Anna K. Simon's resignation in Jan. 2018. She has also served as the executive vice president and provost of the University of Michigan, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Texas and vice president and graduate dean at the University of Texas at Austin.
An email from Sullivan was sent to the MSU community ensuring that she plans to take the job seriously.
"I will approach my job with the same sense of commitment and stewardship that befits anyone serving in the role of provost," Sullivan said in the email. "My most immediate objective will be student and faculty success, and I intend to work intently with faculty, staff, and students to advance the University’s academic and research missions."
She will serve as the provost until the end of the academic year, as MSU's national search for its next provost will begin this semester.
"At MSU that means working hard every day to ensure that we remain a place of access and inclusion—an institution committed to advancing the common good in innovative ways that tackle the world’s most pressing challenges," she said in the email. "I am honored to join this community of scholars in this temporary role as interim provost, and to join you all in working hard every day in support of Michigan State University."
