ASU administration recently named Mark Searle as vice president and provost for ASU West.
Searle will replace former provost Elaine Maimon, who was recently named chancellor of the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
Searle previously worked as the vice provost for academic affairs at ASU West and will officially take office upon approval by the Arizona Board of Regents.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to lead the campus and to contribute to the advancement of ASU and ASU West," Searle said. "I'm an open leader. I believe in strong and positive community and empowering others to do their jobs."
ASU Main Executive Vice President and Provost Milton Glick said Searle has a great relationship with the faculty and students at ASU West.
"He is a very respected scholar; he has a strong administrative success record as dean of human services and as vice provost for the west campus," Glick said.
Glick added that Searle will be "actively engaged" in the transformation of ASU West to its own university, the details of which will be determined during a Board of Regents meeting on June 3.
Currently, a plan is in place to create another university system within the state, composed of Northern Arizona University, ASU West and the combination of University of Arizona-South and NAU-Yuma.
"We think [Searle] will be able to move the agenda at West that is presently ongoing," Glick said. "He was aware this was going to be an issue, and the need for west to be actively engaged in the conversation."
Reach the reporter at lindsay.butler@asu.edu.
