HIGHLIGHTS
C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T: ROB WHITNELL, K YLE DELL A N D VA N C E R I C K S ’ 9 2
BUILDING GUILFORD IN COLLABORATION BY ROB WHITNELL
Whether it’s the first year or — as in my case — the 27th year of your association with Guilford, there has been no year like 2020. And you know much more about what Guilford College looks like right now in
“[Being Provost] means letting
all the people of Guilford do their great work and my role is to support them as best I can.”
December than I can foresee as I write this
— Rob Whitnell
note in September. A little background: On July 21, I agreed to be the Interim Provost for this year, with my colleagues Kyle Dell
candidates for Interim President, and by the end of the following week, we were starting our work with Carol Moore. From there, Kyle, Vance and I joined Kathryn Shields, Associate Academic Dean, in the Provost’s office to figure out what to do next. I write now from a point of uncertainty, crisis, concern — maybe even a little hope — and a general knowledge that we may lose some things that we care deeply about.
By now, many of you will have told me what I got wrong,
(Interim Academic Dean) and Vance Ricks ’92 (Interim Associate
maybe some things that were acceptable and possibly one or two
Academic Dean) accepting their new roles.
things that were fine. And that’s exactly what I expect. I chose
Since Guilford has not always had a Provost, it’s worth a
this role, as I have chosen many at Guilford, because people I
moment to note what I’m responsible for as the lead of Academic
respect convinced me I had something to contribute. While I
Affairs and Student Affairs: anything having to do with classes,
appreciate that confidence, I am not unique. I am continually
faculty, the library, academic support services, the registrar,
amazed by the ways my colleagues care for Guilford.
residence education and housing, student life and engagement,
As I tell my students this year, none of us asked for this
student health and counseling, and even more. In reality, it
and none of us deserved it. I hope that as December me reads
means letting all the people of Guilford do their great work and
this, I find that we did as well as we possibly could under dire
my role is to support them as best I can.
circumstances. And if we have, then we’ll be ready to take the
Within 24 hours of accepting the position, I was interviewing 4 | W W W. G U I L F O R D . E D U
next steps to build Guilford back to where it belongs.
