As we start a new academic year, I want to share how thrilled I am to begin my service as your Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. I look forward to partnering with each of you as we continue to focus on excellence and to chart a path for the university’s next one hundred years. As I look at the national landscape, it is evident that—thanks to your hard work—this is an institution on the rise.
Ultimately, my role as your Provost is to advance the academic mission of the U, ensuring that we continue to accelerate and elevate through efforts such as our Great Schools initiative—identifying and implementing the strategies that lead to success in teaching, clinical care, research, service, and student engagement across our schools and colleges. President Echevarria has invited me to partner with this team to continue the impressive work already begun, and I promise to work closely with you and to support you and our students during my tenure.
I look forward to meeting with all of you to learn more about your work, as we continue to transform into the university we aspire to be. Over the next several weeks, I will meet with Deans and unit heads individually, and, within the coming academic year, I will meet with faculty and staff in academic units as well as our colleagues in university-wide functions. My goal in these meetings will be to hear your thoughts on the opportunities and challenges both within your unit and across the university as a whole.
I hope you will share your ideas about how to enhance what the U does well and address any challenges we face. I view our work as a partnership, and among my priorities is keeping the lines of communication open.
I was drawn to join the University of Miami for many reasons. Prime among them was a clearly defined and aligned vision to collectively drive the impact our university has across South Florida, the broader state, the nation, and the world. From the first step I took on campus, I felt the vibe that we all celebrate and that draws people from across the globe to the U.
I am excited to learn more about the impact each of you makes and to collaborate with the Board of Trustees, President Echevarria, the Faculty Senate, and our leadership team to ensure that we support you and your work. I am particularly excited to be able to partner with President Echevarria to drive intentional, strategic decision making that elevates our university, as we steward the impressive talent of our faculty, staff, and student body to continue to achieve excellence.
I look forward to spending time together in the days ahead, and if you see me walking across campus (indeed any of our campuses), please say hello so we can begin getting to know one another.
With gratitude,
Joel H. Samuels
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
