By Payton Calati
After the initial search for a new Grand Rapids Community College provost failed, the college has once again announced three finalists for provost including GRCC’s current Interim Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Shelia Jones, Michael Pullin and Daniel Powell.
After Brian Knetl left the provost position in December of 2022 to become president at Waubonsee Community College in Illinois, a GRCC search committee selected four finalists from a national pool of candidates in May 2023. However, in June of 2023, GRCC President Charles Lepper notified staff and faculty through an email that they would be continuing to look for a new pool of candidates after deciding that the final four “did not meet the current or future needs of GRCC.”.
Eight months later, GRCC is once again working with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Screening Committee led by Kristi Haik and Sophia Brewer to find the next provost for GRCC. The final three candidates will be on campus presenting on campus March 19-21.
GRCC’s Interim Provost Shelia Jones, will speak with faculty and staff on March 19. She has spent over 15 years in community college education. She began working at GRCC in 2016 as Dean of Instructional Support and worked her way up to becoming Associate Provost of Instructional Support and Institutional Planning in 2022. Jones was named interim provost back in August after GRCC chose to continue the search. Jones earned her Doctorate M.A. in History, and a B.A. in history and business administration.
Michael Pullin, Dean of Academic Initiatives at Queensborough Community College, is visiting campus on March 20. Pullin holds a B.A. in chemistry and a M.S. and Ph.D. in analytical chemistry. Pullin was awarded a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Notre Dame, an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, eventually becoming the Chairperson of the Chemistry Department. Later on, Pullin joined Broward College where he was the Associate Dean of Science, joining Queensborough Community College in 2018.
Daniel Powell, Vice President of Academic Success at Northwest Vista College (NVC), is visiting campus on March 21. Powell has served as Vice President of Academic Success at NVC for almost five years. Before NVC, Powell was Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at Laramie County Community College and has also served in the music and theater areas of Patel Conservatory in the Straz Center. Powell started a teaching career in Community College at Chipola College in Florida and later was promoted to Associate Dean of Fine and Performing Arts. He also served as the Executive Director of the local arts agency, Chipola Regional Arts Association. Powell holds a D.M.A., M.A. of music, a B.A. of music education, and a M.A. of business administration.
Each finalist will meet with faculty and leadership throughout their visit. The forum will be held for faculty and staff and hosted by the Faculty Association on each of the days the meetings will take place in the ATC auditorium, room 168 at 3 p.m.
If you would like to send feedback throughout the process, you may send it to provost@grcc.edu
