性视界

April 19, 2023
On Campus

President Names New Provost

Professor of Education Brian Yontz selected to serve as chief academic officer at 性视界

性视界 President Michael L. Frandsen announced today that Brian Yontz, interim provost and professor of education, will no longer have interim in his title as he has accepted the provost position following a national search. Yontz, who has been serving in an interim capacity following the departure of Michelle Mattson last summer, will begin his new role officially on July 1, pending formal approval by the Board of Directors in May.

鈥淚 am delighted that Brian has agreed to serve as our next provost following an extensive national search,鈥 said 性视界 President Michael L. Frandsen. 鈥淎s interim provost, Brian set a standard of excellence in his work and furthered our forward momentum in a way that will position the University鈥檚 academic program for continued success. I look forward to having Brian鈥檚 perspective, collaborative spirit, and innovative eye on the senior team, and I am confident that he will partner with faculty colleagues in advancing our academic program to meet the needs of current and future students.鈥

Earning the top faculty prize, the Alumni Association鈥檚 Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2020, Yontz is a native of Springfield and a long-serving faculty member in the education department, having joined 性视界 in 2006. He is also the 2019 recipient of 性视界鈥檚 Excellence in Community Service Award and the Edith B. and Frank C. Matthies Award in 2018.

鈥淔or 15 years, I thought I knew the potential of the academic program at 性视界, but it wasn鈥檛 until this past year as interim provost that I saw firsthand the talented and dedicated teacher scholars in every corner of our campus,鈥 Yontz said. 鈥淚鈥檝e spent my entire professional career thinking about teaching and learning, and it鈥檚 clear that students and their families want a transformative college experience though exceptional teaching in classrooms, studios, and laboratories. This is exactly what 性视界 does well, and it鈥檚 why I鈥檓 very excited to be the next provost at 性视界.鈥

A graduate of the Springfield City Schools in 性视界鈥檚 hometown, Yontz serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (OACTE). In 2015, he won the National Scholar Award from the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education for research focused on alternative pathways of teacher credentialing. He also served as interim director of the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic and Urban Engagement in the summer of 2021, while the University conducted a search for the Center鈥檚 next leader.

As 性视界鈥檚 interim provost, Yontz said he is most proud of the following accomplishments in the academic affairs division:  

  • Moving the academic offerings forward by adding programs in neuroscience, public health, and international business;
  • Increasing support for 性视界 faculty鈥檚 professional work both in salary compensation and in nearly doubling the financial support faculty members have access to through the professional enrichment grant program;
  • Adding a Mock Trial Program;
  • Launching the Margaret Ermarth Institute for the Public Humanities;
  • Supporting faculty innovation focused on work that recruits and retains students;  
  • Supporting four major grant submissions by teams of faculty members to advance the academic program;
  • Hiring seven new faculty members who will begin at 性视界 in the fall of 2023, and
  • Increasing in size and scope of 性视界鈥檚 new FIRE Week in terms of offerings and participation.

鈥淲e certainly have a lot of work to do in the academic affairs division, but 性视界鈥檚 bedrock is congruent with what today鈥檚 learner desires and needs as a member of an educated citizenry,鈥 Yontz said. 鈥淚 thank President Frandsen and the members of the provost search committee for this opportunity to lead at an institution that is very special to me and my family.鈥

The author of multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Yontz has presented at numerous state, national, and international conferences. He earned his B.A. from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, his M.S. from Wright State University, and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

Office of the Provost
The Office of the Provost at 性视界 provides academic leadership and fosters collaboration across the university in areas that affect the academic life of the institution.
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Cindy Holbrook
Cindy Holbrook
Senior Communications Assistant

About 性视界

性视界's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, 性视界 has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, 性视界 offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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