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Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Named at UW-RF

JULY 12, 2006--An expert in information sciences, technology transfer and knowledge management and a seasoned university administrator and faculty member has been named as provost at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

            Charles D. Hurt, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at West Chester (Pa.) University, has been selected as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. Hurt replaces Virginia Coombs, who left in June for a post at Keuka College in New York.

            "Charlie brings energy, experience and insight to this vital position," said UW-RF Chancellor Don Betz in a campus announcement July 6. "His collaborative work and leadership and faculty roles have prepared him well for this opportunity."  

            In his most recent position at West Chester University as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Hurt had direct responsibility for 253 full-time faculty and 188 adjunct faculty as well as an annual budget of $30 million in the largest college within WCU, which has 13,000 students.

            "I look forward to walking around and talking with people on campus," says Hurt. "I think being an active listener is a hallmark of leadership."

            Hurt met his wife, Susan, while earning his doctorate at UW-Madison. Her mother has lived in Wisconsin and now lives in Rochester, Minn. "One of the things I anticipate is getting to know UW-River Falls and the immediate area," said Hurt, a native of Virginia. "When we were at UW-Madison, I loved the people, the work ethic and the weather."

            His accomplishments at WCU since joining its staff in 2002 include developing a consortium for large scientific instruments within the university and in collaboration with other institutions and implementing a strategic plan process to prioritize programs and reallocate resources. He guided the college through a $1.3 million shortfall in his first two years and developed a $1.9 million surplus in 2004-05.

            At WCU he served on the President's Council, Dean's Council, Meet and Discuss Committee, Social Equity Task Force, NCATE Advisory Committee, Summer Utilization Task Force, Administrative Sexual Harassment Task Force, and Student Retention Committee.

            "I hope I can bring to the position of sense of togetherness," says Hurt. "One of the things I'm pleased about is the way that the College of Arts and Sciences (at WCU) is working together. I want to make sure that UW-RF is a wonderful place for not only students but also for faculty and staff."

            Hurt's administrative experience includes dean- and directorships at the University of Arizona. He was associate, acting and interim dean of its College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; head of the Near Eastern studies department; and director of its School of Information Resources and Library Science. He also held academic appointments in the departments of communication and anthropology.

            Hurt's book, "Microeconomics of Information," is forthcoming from Information Prime NA, Inc. in Hockessin, Del. Among his books are "Information Sources in Science and Technology," in its third edition, and   "Scientific and Technical Literature: An Introduction to Forms of Communication."

            Having authored more than 50 journal articles, conference papers and reports, Hurt's scholarly works include topics ranging from information retrieval and knowledge management to scientific information. His publications have appeared in journals such as Information Processing and Management, Cataloging and Classification Quarterly , Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Scientometrics . Hurt has been a reviewer and acquisitions editor for several academic publishers.

            He has successfully secured and administered grant funding from such organizations as the U.S. Department of Education, the National Agricultural Library, IBM Corp., as well as Fortune 100 companies, state agencies and cooperative commissions. Most recently he is the principal investigator for a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation that was awarded to WCU for an information assurance center.

            Past and present professional affiliations include the New York Academy of Science, American Anthropological Association, Association for Computing Machinery, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, and the Association for Library and Information Science Education.

            He holds a B.A. in English literature from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in information science from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in information science from UW-Madison. Hurt has taught at the University of Arizona, Simmons College, McGill University and UW-Madison. He also holds a certificate in advanced leadership from the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C.

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Last updated: Thursday, 22-Apr-2010 16:07:30 CDT