An announcement was made by the President’s office on Thursday, Feb. 20, naming Dr. Wesley Kisting as the newest provost of Hamline University. Throughout the selection process the search committee, led by professor of English Dr. Jermaine Singleton, has ensured that candidates align with the values of Hamline’s community.

“It was sort of determined beforehand to move towards Hamline’s goals as a whole,”
search committee member and senior Emmett Frett said.

Through hours of meeting and discussion, the search committee narrowed it down to its top three candidates, with a fourth candidate added by interim President Kathleen Murray.

A provost is responsible for academic programs, planning and operations, as well as assisting the presidential team in their respective duties. Frett emphasizes the importance of the provost, noting that this position requires careful planning for the future of academic progress.

“The provost is in charge of thinking about what comes next for programs at Hamline. What’s working and what’s not working,” Frett said.

Frett served as the only student on the provost search committee. He emphasized the importance of a candidate with experience and passion for working directly with students. A quality that stood out to Frett in candidates was an interest in teaching classes. After hours of deliberation and interviews, the final four candidates chosen came to campus to give their final presentations.

The first candidate to present was Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner, Provost, Executive Vice President and Professor of World Languages & Cultures at Whitworth University. Thuswaldner has also served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and a professor of several topics including humanities, German and linguistics. In 2006, Thuswaldner received Gordon College’s Distinguished Junior Faculty Award.

Tuesday’s candidate, Dr. Susan Larkin, has a Ph.D. in English studies from Illinois State University, and since 2022 has been Virginia Wesleyan University’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Larkin combines working as a member of the administration with working in the classroom as a professor.

In her presentation, Larkin emphasized how important the liberal arts are, and why that makes Hamline so special. As well as the importance of communication, keeping students at the forefront of decisions and “barriers to higher education that limit who has access to it,” Larkin said. “I think we need to find ways to break those down.”

The third candidate, Dr. Jamie Frueh, has been serving as Associate Provost at Bridgewater College since 2015. Frueh has served on several boards of higher education and is a recognized expert in curriculum and faculty management. Frueh has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the American University School of International Service.

The final candidate that presented was Dr. Wesley Kisting, currently serving as the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin River-Falls. Kisting has extensive experience working in all levels of administration at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Augusta University in Georgia.

“I would stake my career on a place like Hamline. A lean, scrappy institution with a cohesive, highly committed faculty,” Kisting said.