University News
Provost Interviews Set
March 16, 2018
MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Interviews for the Western Illinois University provost position will be held Wednesday-Friday, March 21-23; Wednesday-Friday, March 28-30; Sunday-Tuesday, April 8-10 and Sunday-Tuesday, April 15-17.
Candidates include George Arasimowicz, dean and professor in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Central State University in Ohio (March 21-23); Dirk Schlingmann, dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina Upstate, in Spartanburg, SC (March 28-30); Vimala Pillari, dean and professor in the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at Tarleton State University (April 8-10) and Yi Li, provost and vice president of academic affairs at California State University, Northridge (April 15-17). Candidate interview schedules and abbreviated bios will be available online at wiu.edu/employment.
An open session for each candidate will be held on the Macomb campus from 5-6 p.m. on the second day of each interview, in Stipes Hall 501. The sessions will be held March 22 (Arasimowicz); March 29 (Schlingmann); April 9 (Pillari) and April 16 (Li). Open sessions on the Quad Cities campus will be held from 1-2 p.m. on the third day of each interview, in Riverfront Hall. The Quad Cities sessions will be held March 23 in Riverfront 111 (Arasimowicz); March 30 in Riverfront 111 (Schlingmann); April 10 Riverfront 103/104 (Pillari) and April 17 in Riverfront 103/104 (Li).
Arasimowicz has served as a professor and dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Central State University since 2016. Previously, he was a professor and dean of the College of the Visual and Performing Arts at Kean University (2012-15); professor and dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills (2007-12); founding dean and professor of the division of arts, media and communications at Wheaton College (1999-2007); dean and professor at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music (1997-99); chair of the department of music at the University of Colorado Denver (1994-97); associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver (1993-97); assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver (1988-93) assistant professor at the University of Alberta (1984-89); adjunct professor of music at Northwest College (1987-88) and assistant professor at Southern California College (1982-83).
Arasimowicz earned his doctorate from the University of California, San Diego (1982); his master's degree from McGill University (1979) and his bachelor's degree in music from the University of Toronto, and an honors bachelor's degree in English and history from Carleton University (1976).
Schlingmann has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina Upstate since 2010. Previously, he was a professor and chair of the department of mathematics and statistics at Eastern Kentucky University (2004-10); a visiting professor of mathematics at the University of the Virgin Islands (2003-04, sabbatical year); chair of the department of mathematics and computer science at Bethany College (2000-03); a professor of mathematics at Bethany College (1990-2004) and a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1989-90).
Schlingmann earned his doctorate in mathematics from the Free University of Berlin (1988); his master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois (1985) and his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Bonn (1983).
Pillari has served as dean and a professor in the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at Tarleton State University since 2016. Previously, she was a dean and distinguished professor in the Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University (2008-16); the founding dean and a professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Dominican University, Illinois (2000-08); founding director and a professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Newman University, Kansas (1997-2000); associate director of the research center in the School of Social Work at Brigham Young University (1995-97); a professor in the School of Social Work at Norfolk State University (1985-95); an associate professor in the School of Social Work graduate program at the State University of New York at Buffalo (1981-85) and an assistant professor in the department of social work at Southern Connecticut State University (1978-81).
Pillari received her doctorate in social welfare from Columbia University in New York (1978); her master's degree in social work from Madras University in India and her bachelor's degree in home-science/economics, child psychology and sociology from Madras University.
Li has served as provost and vice president of academic affairs, and a professor of mathematics at California State University, Northridge since 2015. Previously, he served as dean and a professor in the College of Science and Mathematics at Wright State University (2011-15); chair of the department of mathematics at the University of Iowa (2007-11); director of applied mathematical and computational sciences at the University of Iowa (2005-07); associate chair and director of graduate study for the department of mathematics at the University of Iowa (2001-05); mathematics professor at the University of Iowa (1999-2011); associate professor of mathematics at the University of Iowa (1996-99); associate professor of mathematics at the University of Rochester (1993-97); assistant professor in the department of mathematics at the University of Rochester (1989-93); L.E. Dickson Instructor in the department of mathematics at the University of Chicago (1988-90); a teaching assistant in the School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota (1983-88) and an instructor in the department of mathematics at Xi'an Jiaotong University (1982-83). His joint appointments include serving as the Changjiang Chair Professor in the department of mathematics at Xi'an Jiaotong University (2009-13); a professor in the interdisciplinary graduate program in informatics at the University of Iowa (2006-11); the Xiaoxiang Chair Professor at Hunan Normal University (2004-08) and a professor in the department of applied mathematical and computational sciences at the University of Iowa (1999-2011).
Li received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Minnesota (1988) and his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Xi'an Jiaotong University (1982).
The provost and vice president for academic affairs serves as the chief academic officer of the University with responsibility for academic and internal leadership. The provost reports directly to the president and is the primary representative of the president in his absence. The provost leads the University-wide community to promote the highest academic standards and the University's core values at both the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses; provides leadership in planning, developing, implementing and assessing all academic programs; has primary responsibility for contract administration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement for faculty and support staff and a significant portion of the University budget; provides overall leadership for continued growth of international and life-long learning programs, distance education, faculty development and the Honors College; and supervises senior staff and many service areas that are responsible for achieving the University's established major goals identified by the president and the Board of Trustees.
Complete candidate interview schedules and vitas are available at wiu.edu/employment.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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