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Gail Hackett, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of Missouri-Kansas City since 2008, has accepted an appointment as provost of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Hackett will begin her duties at VCU on March 1. VCU has an enrollment of approximately 32,000 students, roughly double the size of UMKC.
“Gail Hackett’s tenure as UMKC’s chief academic officer has been marked by a commitment to excellence,” said Leo E. Morton, UMKC Chancellor. “Under her academic leadership, our enrollment and stature have grown. We have attracted top researchers and thought leaders to our faculty, and provided the next generation of Kansas City’s leaders with an exceptional education. She leaves with our best wishes and our profound thanks.”
Morton added that Cindy Pemberton, UMKC’s deputy provost for academic affairs, will serve as interim provost until a successor is named. A national search for a new provost will begin shortly, involving a search committee and a professional academic search consultant.
Mel Tyler, UMKC vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management, commended Hackett for her commitment to UMKC’s strategic goal of student success.
“Dr. Hackett believes in two great ideals: high academic standards, and the responsibility of a public university to do everything possible to help young people achieve those standards. She walked that walk every day,” Tyler said.
He cited academic initiatives achieved under her tenure that included a new general education core curriculum, creation of the Atterbury Student Success Center, and the founding of University College, a new academic unit designed specifically for freshmen who are undecided on a major.
Hackett, who earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Penn State, was Vice Provost and Founding Dean of the University College at Arizona State University in Tempe before coming to UMKC. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City and the International Advisory Board for the American University of Vietnam. She is regarded as one of the most respected and frequently cited researchers in the field of counseling psychology, with more than 3,500 citations in academic journals.
