Leadership announcement

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

I write to share the news that Melissa L. Gilliam, executive vice president and provost, has been named President-Elect of Boston University, effective January 1, 2024.

Dr. Gilliam will continue to serve as provost through the end of the calendar year – and I know you join me in congratulating her on the next step in her career in higher education.

As provost, she led the launch of the university’s Academic Plan and created new structures to advance academic life, including the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Strategic Enrollment Management. As part of a focus on faculty excellence, she established programs for all stages of the career lifecycle, including the Provost’s Early Career Scholars Program and the Scarlet and Gray Associate Professors Program.

Additionally, Dr. Gilliam has continued to focus on student retention and graduation, developing a completion action plan to further accelerate growth in first-year retention and graduation rates. She also created the Provost’s Council on the Arts and has helped to lead our university’s Shared Values Initiative.

More will be shared on transition plans soon as Ohio State prepares for a national search for Dr. Gilliam’s successor. In the meantime, join me in wishing her the very best in her new role. She has helped to advance Ohio State in areas critical to our mission, and we will have opportunities to show our appreciation over the next several months.

Sincerely,

Peter J. Mohler, PhD

Acting President and Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge