On March 15, President James Danko announced that Dr. Brooke Barnett, who has served as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs since April 2021, would continue in the role. She follows Kate Morris who is now President at St. Lawrence University.

In his announcement, President Danko acknowledged that it became clear to him in the search process that the best person for the job was the person who was already doing it. “Her proven leadership talent, her depth and breadth of experience, the high esteem in which she is already held at Butler, and her agile approach to complex decision-making make her uniquely positioned to advance the seven strategic priorities of Butler Beyond,” he said of Barnett.

Barnett, who served as Dean of the College of Communication prior to her time as Interim Provost, joined Butler in 2018, after serving for 18 years at Elon University. “It was a joy to recruit Brooke to Butler several years ago to become Dean of the College of Communication,” says Morris. “Brooke is dedicated to Butler’s mission, provides thoughtful and steady leadership, and will be a great partner to President Jim Danko.”

Barnett is enthusiastic about continuing in her work as Provost. “Butler’s founding of radical access speaks to my personal and professional values and leadership philosophy. I welcome the chance to help further strengthen our robust approach to undergraduate and graduate education and organizational excellence.”

In addition, the dual role of faculty and staff advocate and senior administrator makes the Provost a challenging and rewarding position for Barnett. “In all my work, I seek to build a trusting, equitable, diverse, fair, and supportive community. These are my core values and ones that resonate with Butler’s origins and current aspirations,” she expressed. “As an institution, we are on the cusp of many exciting things, and I am excited to be part of creating that future by continuing as Provost.