John Carroll University President Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D., today announced that Steven T. Herbert, Ph.D., has been named Provost and Academic Vice President. He joins John Carroll University from Xavier University, where he has been serving as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Physics. Herbert will join the University in summer 2019.
In an email to the John Carroll University community, Johnson highlighted Herbert’s significant academic qualifications and his dedication to Jesuit core values. “Steve’s versatile experience in higher education, impressive body of scholarly work and clear dedication to core Jesuit values will suit him well in this important role,” said Johnson. “He brings academic expertise, leadership and innovation to John Carroll University at a time of great momentum for our institution. Steve and I will work together with our academic deans to enhance our academic programs and curriculum, empower and champion our faculty and staff, and promote John Carroll’s strengths as we build toward a renewed Strategic Plan for 2020-2025.”
As provost, Herbert will provide administrative leadership for John Carroll University’s academic programs. He will be responsible for a wide range of initiatives and services related to academic policies and procedures, the curriculum, faculty development, institutional effectiveness, planning, research, student learning and other areas of strategic importance. He will also join the faculty as a tenured professor in the Department of Physics. “I am honored, humbled, and extremely excited to be joining the John Carroll University community at this exciting time,” said Herbert. “In this era of challenge for most institutions of higher education, JCU continues to emerge as a community with strength and momentum for an extraordinary future.” He continued, “I come to walk with a talented, committed faculty and a dedicated staff in delivering our Jesuit Catholic mission. Together, we equip our students to learn, lead, and serve in a world that increasingly needs what a John Carroll education has to offer – reflection, discernment, and a commitment to informed action and service for the greater glory of God. Together, we will continue to build and broadcast the story of JCU to the region, the nation, and to the world.”
In addition to a strong body of scholarly work in physics, Herbert was a catalyst for innovation and improvement at Xavier. He assisted in crafting and implementing the university’s past and current academic plans and oversaw two key elements of Xavier’s Strategic Master Enrollment Plan: online programming, which grew from nothing to over 20 percent of all graduate credits in three years, and graduate enrollments, where he oversaw the creation and introduction of 14 new programs in over five years.
Herbert’s appointment comes on the heels of several significant announcements at John Carroll, including the recent anonymous and unrestricted $20 million pledge from a graduate, and the transformation of the Boler College of Business. Herbert is a summa cum laude graduate of Xavier University. He earned a Ph.D. in Physics from The Ohio State University.