Avinandan “Avi” Mukherjee, the provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, will conclude his tenure effective July 1, 2025, President Brad Smith said in a university-wide email. 

Mukherjee will leave the mountain state and head south to Georgia Southern University, where he will become the next provost and executive vice president. 

Throughout Mukherjee’s time at Marshall, he transitioned from his first role of dean of the Lewis College of Business in 2017 to interim provost in 2021 before securing the position permanently in 2022. 

Smith said plans to name an interim provost upon Mukherjee’s departure are currently underway. 

“A national search for our next provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs will begin in mid-May,” Smith said. “Our goal is to bring finalists to campus by late September and to announce a new appointment shortly thereafter.” 

Smith said the university’s next provost will be appointed at the start of the Spring 2026 Semester. 

Kaitlyn Fleming can be contacted at [email protected].