The Provost Search Committee has chosen five finalists for consideration as the next Missouri State University provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Dr. Mitchell McKinney, Dr. Clarenda Phillips, Dr. James Satterfield, Dr. Mark Smith and Dr. Shawn Wahl will be on campus in February for interviews and to participate in public forums.
“The search committee chose these five outstanding individuals from a pool of well-qualified candidates. Each one brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to academic excellence,” said Missouri State President Dr. Richard B. Williams.
“I encourage our faculty, staff, students and community members to hear from and engage with these finalists at the upcoming forums and offer their valued feedback.”
About the finalists
McKinney has been dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Akron since 2021. Before that, he was acting deputy provost at the University of Missouri for four years. He has worked in higher education for over three decades. A leader in political communications, McKinney served as a White House Fellow for the Office of Domestic Policy in 1993.
Phillips has more than 30 years of higher education experience and is the system lead for reimagining STEM equity at Texas A&M University. She previously served for six years as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, as well as the same role at Notre Dame of Maryland University from 2016-18. Since 2023, she has worked with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as faculty for the Academy of New Provosts.
Satterfield has more than two decades of higher education experience. He has served as dean of the College of Education at Boise State University since 2022. Before that, he led the department of educational foundations, leadership and technology at Auburn University (2020-22). He also previously served as department head of counseling, leadership and special education in the College of Education at Missouri State (2016-20) and program coordinator for the PhD in higher education program at Clemson University (2009-11).
Smith has 20-plus years of experience in academia. He became dean of the McQueary College of Health and Human Services at Missouri State University in 2019. Prior to that, he worked at the University of Northern Colorado from 2004-19, holding various positions, such as sport pedagogy and physical education program coordinator and associate dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences.
Wahl has 22 years of experience in higher education, with 12 of that at Missouri State, where he is the founding dean of the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. He also served as department head of communication (2012-17) and interim dean and then dean of the College of Arts and Letters (2017-23). Before that, he was department head of communication, mass media and theatre at Angelo State University (2009-12) and the founding director of graduate studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (2004-09).
Meet the finalists
The public forums for each candidate will take place in the Plaster Student Union Theater on:
- Feb. 7, 9-10:30 a.m. – Smith
- Feb. 10, 2:30-4 p.m. – Wahl
- Feb. 11, 2:30-4 p.m. – Phillips
- Feb. 12, 2:30-4 p.m. – Satterfield
- Feb. 18, 2:30-4 p.m. – McKinney
The search
Missouri State began the search for the new provost in fall 2024. Over 80 candidates applied for the position.
Brad Bodenhausen, vice president for community and global partnerships, and Dr. Marjorie Shavers, College of Education associate dean, are co-chairs of the 17-member Provost Search Committee.
More information about this search is available on the Provost Search website.