UNC-Wilmington’s temporary provost has been named as the permanent replacement.
After nearly a year as interim leader, Dr. Marilyn Sheerer was named Provost and Vice Chancellor of the Office of Academic Affairs earlier this week, according to a release from the university.
She brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in higher education administration, including a seven-year stint as provost at East Carolina University, a position she held until 2014. Last January, UNCW officials announced they had picked her as acting provost in the absence of Denise Battles, who stepped down at the end of the spring 2015 semester to serve as President of the State University of New York Geneseo.
“I am so pleased that Dr. Sheerer has accepted the offer to serve as provost and vice chancellor of this great institution,” UNCW Chancellor Zito Sartarelli said. “Marilyn has proven to be an outstanding leader and has an excellent record as an administrator and scholar. I have enjoyed working with Marilyn in her capacity as interim provost, and she will continue be a great asset to UNCW.”
Sheerer has also served as dean of ECU’s College of Education, and in a variety of other top administrative posts at the Greenville University–associate dean and interim vice chancellor chief among them. Before her work with ECU, she was a department chair at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Northern Illinois University.
While at at ECU, Sheerer led the creation of the university’s Honors College and expanded distance education, while also securing millions in funding to support academic programs and assist learning disabled students.
Sheerer jumped head first into her interim role at UNCW, spending the last seven months advising a university task force on the alignment of academic budgeting with institutional budgeting practices, developing an action plan for academic affairs and helping Sartarelli with the creation of a campus-wide strategic plan.
As Provost, Sheerer will continue to report directly to Sartarelli, oversee all academic units of the university and serve as chief operating officer for UNCW.
“I greatly appreciate this opportunity to continue to work with Chancellor Sartarelli, the deans, faculty and staff to advance the university’s mission and build upon UNCW’s many strengths,” said Dr. Sheerer. “I look forward to collaborating with my academic colleagues and constituents across campus as we foster innovative approaches to improving the student experience at UNCW.”
