Marshall’s next provost will be on campus the week of Sept. 22 – although they do not know they are the next provost, yet.

Five candidates are visiting campus to interact with the university community and undergo further interviewing after being chosen as finalists from a national search by the provost search committee.

Faculty, staff and students will have the opportunity to meet with the finalists as one of the five will hold open meetings in the Memorial Student Center each day of the week. Attendees may submit feedback on the candidates in an online form, which will be reviewed by Marshall President Brad Smith, who will ultimately choose the next provost. 

According to University Announcements, Smith will announce his choice later in the month, and the new provost will begin their tenure in January for the Spring 2026 Semester. 

The position was vacated in July by former Provost Avi Mukherjee, who now serves as provost at Georgia Southern University, after eight years of service at Marshall.

The provost finalists will visit the university in the following order:

• Michael “Mike” J. McKenzie is the vice provost for program management and strategic initiatives at Appalachian State University. McKenzie has over 20 years of experience in administration, teaching and research for higher education with an expertise in exercise science. He values student success, shared governance and developing innovative programs in leadership.
• Diane Helfers Petrella is the dean of the College of Arts and Media at Kent State University. Petrella has served in a number of leadership roles in her career and previously taught courses in piano and piano pedagogy. Her background in music and the arts also led her to perform and teach music internationally with the Petrella Ensemble.
• Rose Marie Ward is a special consultant to the provost and a professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati. Ward had many leadership positions at Miami University over two decades before moving to UC. Her career achievements include establishing numerous student-centered programs, winning prestigious awards and authoring research articles on young adult alcohol consumption and sexual assault on college campuses.
• Ryan D. Schroeder is the dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Georgia Southern University. Prior to his tenure at GSU, Schroeder served as a faculty member for 14 years in the University of Louisville’s Department of Sociology, serving as department chair the last four years. Schroeder’s research, which has been published in popular journals, centers around crime, juvenile delinquency and deviance.
• Alison “Ali” A. Carr-Chellman is the incoming Peter Kuntz family chair in educational administration and former dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences at the University of Dayton. Her background in instructional design and educational technology has led her to focus on the needs of diverse learners in her research. Carr-Chellman’s repertoire includes over 100 journal articles, nine books and 13,000 Google Scholar citations as well as a widely-viewed TED Talk. 

The online feedback forms will remain open until Sunday, Sept. 28. Students, faculty and staff can find the individual forms for each candidate in an email sent out by University Announcements on Monday, Sept. 22.

Baylee Parsons can be contacted at [email protected].