Interim Chancellor Heather Hulburt Norris announced in an email Monday that Neva J. Specht has been appointed as acting provost, filling the role Norris left upon being appointed as interim chancellor April 19.
Since arriving at the university in 1996 as a history professor, Specht has served as assistant chair for the Department of History from 2007-09; associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2010-13; senior associate dean of the college from 2013-17; dean of the college from 2017-21 and most recently as senior vice provost since 2021.
“As dean, Dr. Specht led the development of a strategic plan for the College of Arts & Sciences and the college’s Student and Faculty Excellence Fund, which supports students and faculty in their research and creative activities endeavors. She also wrote the first history of the college,” Norris wrote in her announcement email.
Specht has also contributed to the Boone area via serving as a trustee and board chair on the North Carolina Humanities Council, serving on the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum’s board and serving as the university’s liaison to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“Please join me in thanking Neva for taking on this important leadership role for the university’s academic enterprise,” Norris concluded in her email.
No replacement for the senior vice provost role has been announced at the time of publication.
