Missouri State appoints interim provost to succeed retiring Frank Einhellig
The interim provost at Missouri State University spent the past 13 years leading another higher education institution in Missouri.
John Jasinski will step into the role July 1. He will succeed Frank Einhellig, retiring after three decades with the university.
Jasinski has been president of Northwest Missouri State University — a campus located in Maryville, nearly 100 miles north of Kansas City — for 13 years.
MSU President Clif Smart said the university had the second-best enrollment record for the past five years, shrinking by just 2.6 percent. "Under John’s leadership, Northwest has had the best enrollment record — growing by 20.5 percent."
The appointment is for one year with the flexibility to extend the contract another year, if needed, the university announced Tuesday.
“I couldn’t be more excited about adding John to the leadership team,” Smart said, in the release.
An interim provost position was not originally part of the plan.
After Einhellig made public his plans to retire, Smart said the position would be recast as an executive vice president and provost.
Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education for Missouri, was named the executive vice president in late May.
However, she was not hired to be provost. Smart said he was confident she could do the dual role but noted faculty balked at her also serving as provost because she has never been a professor.
More: MSU hires Zora Mulligan for No. 2 role, promotes Brad Bodenhausen
"I was ready to hire her for the position. It would have been within the purview of my role as president to do so," Smart wrote in a May 24 blog. "However, after discussing the concerns with Zora, the board and others, I determined it could prove difficult for her to lead effectively if faculty concerns lingered."
The university's academic deans will report to Jaskinski, who will in turn report to Smart.
Jasinski will manage academic program review and approval, accreditations and faculty affairs. He will also help develop a plan to reduce expenses in that area.
“John will work with me and Zora Mulligan, our new executive vice president. We’ll get feedback from the campus community to restructure our academic and business units and operations," said Smart, in the release.
"This will enable us to redesign the university in a way that best meets modern post-secondary needs.”
Jasinski has a doctorate in educational leadership and higher education administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Before he was president, Jasinski was chief academic officer, associate provost, faculty member and department chair at Northwest Missouri State University. His teaching and research was focused on mass media, broadcast communication, and communication theories and law.
As president, Jasinski avoided layoffs, furloughs or reductions in force throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The university implemented an inclusive framework and achieved a financial turnaround under his leadership.
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU appoints interim provost to succeed the retiring Frank Einhellig
