Illinois State University’s search for vice president for Academic Affairs and provost has been narrowed to four candidates. The four include two internal candidates – Jim Jawahar and Janet Krejci – and two external – Michael Licari of the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and Matthew Shaftel of Florida State University.
“The search committee has found outstanding finalists from dozens of applications from all over the U.S.,” said University President Larry Dietz. “We look forward to meeting with the finalists in the coming days.” Complete vitae of all four candidates are available on the University website.
In an effort for the public and the campus community to learn more about the finalists in this national search, open forums will be held Feb. 24, 26, 27, and March 2. The forums will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. on each day, with the schedule as follows:
Tuesday, Feb. 24: Michael Licari – Old Main Room, Bone Student Center
Thursday, Feb. 26: Jim Jawahar – Old Main Room, Bone Student Center
Friday, Feb. 27: Matthew Shaftel – Caterpillar Auditorium, State Farm Hall of Business
Monday, March 2: Janet Krejci – Old Main Room, Bone Student Center
Michael Lacari
The candidates are:
Michael Licari is the interim provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at the UNI. Earning a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he joined the faculty at UNI in 2001. During his tenure there, he has served as interim head of the Department of Political Science, associate provost for Academic Affairs and dean of the Graduate College, and chair of the University Faculty Senate. He was also asked to serve as acting president of UNI for several months to cover an unexpected medical leave.
Jim Jawahar
Jim Jawahar is an associate provost in the Division of Academic Affairs at Illinois State. Earning a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University, he joined the faculty in Illinois State’s Department of Management and Quantitative Methods in 1998. Earning the rank of University Professor in 2012, Jawahar has served as a department chair, an associate provost and acting vice president for academic affairs and provost. During his tenure at Illinois State, he helped established the George R. and Martha Means Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and the International Business Institute, and chaired the University’s committees on reaccreditation and financial sustainability.
Matthew Shaftel
Matthew Shaftel is the associate vice president for Academic Affairs at Florida State University. Earning a Ph.D. in music theory from Yale University in 2000, he taught at Yale until he joined the faculty of Florida State in 2001. For several years, Shaftel served as director of Asolo Song Festival and Institute for Song Interpretation in Italy. He received the title of Distinguished Associate Professor of Music Theory at Florida State in 2007. During his time as associate vice president, he has worked on accreditation of the university, expanded international programs at Florida State, and helped implement a Presidential Scholars program.
Janet Krejci
Janet Krejci is the interim vice president for Academic Affairs and provost at Illinois State. Earning a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Krejci began her career at Marquette University in Wisconsin, where she was named an associate dean. She came to Illinois State as the dean of the Mennonite College of Nursing in 2009. She currently serves as a governor-appointed board member for the Illinois Center for Nursing. Named a fellow for the American Council on Education, Krejci is a past chair of the Illinois Association of Colleges of Nursing, and has served on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Since 2008, she has served as a consultant-evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission accreditation process.
