Dear colleagues,
Following our national search and extensive interviews with three finalist candidates for the position of Wichita State’s new executive vice president and provost, I’m very pleased to appoint Dr. Shirley Lefever to the permanent position, effective immediately.
Dr. Lefever has served as our interim executive vice president and provost since fall 2020. Prior to that, she was dean of the College of Education, which in 2018 she transitioned to the College of Applied Studies. During her tenure as dean, enrollment in the college grew more than 60%, and several new programs were added, including the Teacher Apprentice Program, which remains one of the largest enrolled programs at the university.
As interim EVP and provost, Dr. Lefever has continued to support our enrollment efforts, which have led to record growth while guiding the university through the immense challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work is focused directly on Wichita State’s priorities of access to higher education, talent development and economic prosperity.
As she moves forward in this role, some immediate priorities will include growing need-based aid; increasing student retention; implementing our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan; expanding the talent pipeline through applied learning; and growing faculty research.
All of these goals are driven each day by our three priorities, which Dr. Lefever will uphold in her position as Wichita State’s academic leader:
- Driving educational access and affordability
- Meeting the talent pipeline for businesses
- Increasing economic prosperity for our community
Dr. Lefever will work to determine the long-term future of the leadership of the College of Applied Studies. Further communication will come when that is available.
Thank you to those of you who took part in candidate forums and provided your thoughts through the online surveys.
Finally, having worked closely with Dr. Lefever for 17 years, I can say firsthand how committed she is to our success as a university and the people who make up our Shocker community. I look forward to our continued work together.
Go Shockers!
President Rick Muma