January 11, 2021

 

Transition of Interim Provost

 

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

 

With a mixture of regret and deep admiration, I am sharing the news that Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs James McCarthy has decided to retire. Dr. McCarthy was due to conclude his two-year term in August 2021, but at this juncture, he needs to prioritize his health <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=E9aN-rxxM02WgdQilU8Szg&ref_id=Bv7wLko7RUejCneXOb2KbQ>  and particularly address ongoing “long-haul Covid” complications. His last day will be January 31. 

 

As many of you know, Jim had served previously as Baruch’s Provost and SVP from June 2007 through January 2012, before being appointed to the presidency of Suffolk University in Boston. He returned to Baruch in August 2019 for a two-year assignment as the College launched a national search for a new president, a position I began on July 1, 2020. I have benefited tremendously from Jim’s institutional knowledge, leadership experience, and wisdom during the early stage of my tenure. 

 

A Visionary and Compassionate Leader

When Jim returned to Baruch in August 2019, he hit the ground running, bringing the College’s decennial reaccreditation process with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) to a successful conclusion. As soon as the MSCHE evaluators left campus after their final visit in March 2020, Jim asked Baruch’s leadership team to stay in the conference room to start planning for the likely pivot to distance learning as a potential campus shutdown loomed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The historic transition to the virtual campus environment was not without hurdles and challenges, but Jim helped steady the course for Baruch. As protests against racial injustice soon galvanized New York City and the nation, Jim inspired the creation of Baruch’s Community Connections website <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=3BH7yZbSnEG1GPz0j7_LpA&ref_id=Bv7wLko7RUejCneXOb2KbQ> , where he expressed <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=g-diWxEVRUSHHy1CEI6uPQ&ref_id=Bv7wLko7RUejCneXOb2KbQ> —and promoted the expression of—points of view and experiences related to social injustice and the pandemic. Even before I joined the College officially in July, I charged Jim to lead the Task Force for the Future <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=5Bjoi3yb5U-SAsAynr3ziQ&ref_id=Bv7wLko7RUejCneXOb2KbQ> , with foci on the immediate needs for the 2020–21 academic year and on the College’s longer-term future.

 

Fortunately, long before our world was disrupted by the pandemic, Jim had already advanced or reinvigorated several curricular concepts that will prove crucial to Baruch’s future success. Those include an online degree-completion program that is now poised to begin in a beta format in Fall 2021 and an online MBA, which received state approval and is on track to be launched. In January 2020, we also saw the culmination of Jim’s investment in our Department of Black and Latino Studies (BLS), with the appointment of Professor Shelly Eversley as Interim Chair of BLS <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=9ULU3hhNDESwXjDmt7vS-A&ref_id=Bv7wLko7RUejCneXOb2KbQ>  and as Faculty Fellow in the Office of the Provost. Enhancing that mission-critical area was an important step in the transformation of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, which Jim further guided with the appointment of Professor Jessica Lang as Interim Dean <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=GSWW6LPtvUahTStpJ5emeg&ref_id=Bv7wLko7RUejCneXOb2KbQ> . 

 

Transition Plan: Appointment of Myung-Soo Lee as Interim Provost

As I thank Jim for his service to Baruch, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Myung-Soo Lee, professor of Marketing and International Business, has accepted my invitation to become the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs effective February 1 and through August 2021. 

 

Professor Lee is a renowned scholar in the areas of consumer information research and a versatile leader in higher education. Since joining the faculty of the Zicklin School of Business in 1990, Myung-Soo has held numerous leadership positions, including Chair of the Allen G. Aaronson Department of Marketing and International Business, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Interim Dean of the Zicklin School. As the Vice Provost for Global Strategies, Myung-Soo led the College’s internationalization efforts with a focus on improving students’ global competencies and experiences on campus and expanding Baruch’s global reach through strategic international partnerships, including dual-degree programs with institutions in Israel, China, and Italy, among others. During my consultation with College faculty and senior staff, it became clear that Dr. Lee has the trust, respect, and admiration across the Baruch community—combined with an impressive devotion and commitment to the College and our students—making him an ideal choice. I anticipate a very smooth transition and look forward to working with Myung-Soo in his new role. 

 

Provost Search Underway

The national search for a permanent provost and SVP for academic affairs is well underway and on track to have a final appointment on July 1. The position profile <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=S_fSW0jjakK__bvlUqD_Hg&ref_id=Bv7wLko7RUejCneXOb2KbQ>  was developed with input and feedback from the entire Baruch community. I am pleased to report that the executive search firm has updated me that the search is going well. We expect a strong group of qualified and diverse candidates. Dr. Lee, however, has declared that he will not be a candidate. 

 

Please join me in thanking Provost McCarthy for his distinguished service and in welcoming Professor Myung-Soo Lee as he partners with me and Baruch’s leadership to support our faculty and students through the spring semester. 

 

Sincerely,

 

S. David Wu

President, Baruch College

 

 



 

 

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