Wiencek selected as provost, will begin position June 1
John Wiencek was poised for a future in the private sector after college.
Wiencek, interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, said as his senior year concluded he had a job lined up at Procter & Gamble, student loans to pay off and a father pressuring him to get a well-paying job.
It seemed his goal of becoming a professor would have to be put on hold.
John Wiencek
“It was pretty clear that I was going to go work, because I couldn’t afford to be a professor in my mind,” Wiencek said.
That all changed when Wiencek took a required professional development course and was introduced to the idea of an academic stipend.
“That’s when I found out I could go to graduate school and someone else would give me a full tuition waiver and they would actually pay me a living wage,” he said.
Now, with decades of experience in higher education, Wiencek will take another step forward in academics as the University of Idaho’s next provost and executive vice president.
“I really am looking forward to a nice long stint as provost so that I can really make some substantial changes and differences for the university,” he said.
Wiencek said he decided to apply for the position after meeting UI President Chuck Staben during a dinner at a conference last fall. After the dinner, Wiencek said it was clear he and Staben had complementary personalities and could work well together.
“We struck up a conversation and I was very impressed with his style and enjoyed talking with him,” he said.
Wiencek will begin as provost June 1 and replace Interim Provost Katherine Aiken, who has held the position since 2012 when former Provost Doug Baker left UI to become president of Northern Illinois University. Wiencek was one of five candidates vying for the position.
At VCU, Wiencek also served as senior vice provost — a position he took to gain more experience before applying for a permanent provost position.
“I realized that I probably needed to have some experience, an intermediate step before I went right to provost,” he said.
As the provost’s No. 2, Wiencek said he learned the inner workings of a provost position and became familiar with handling the responsibilities.
Wiencek said he also expanded his experience as an administrator by working with faculty members from a variety of disciplines.
Before VCU, Wiencek spent six years as dean of the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of South Florida. He has also held professor positions at the University of Iowa and Rutgers University.
As provost, Wiencek plans on working with Staben to increase enrollment — something he said can provide more resources to faculty and programs, along with making the student experience better.
“There is plenty to do out of the gate, and I’m already starting to think about it,” Wiencek said.
Wiencek said he also plans to focus on boosting selected academic programs into the national spotlight while working with Staben to address faculty morale and productivity.
Wiencek said although UI has dedicated faculty members, the university has struggled to provide them with proper compensation and recognition.
As for his administrative style, Wiencek said he plans on communicating openly with faculty, staff and students and doing a lot of listening as provost.
“It should be two parts listening and one part speaking, if not more parts listening,” he said. “It’s important to listen to other people and not to dominate conversations.”
Aiken said Staben and Wiencek have complementary personalities and will make a strong team. Aiken said Wiencek has a good track record in higher education and has experience serving in a provost position, something the search committee looked for during the hiring process.
“He’s going to be a really terrific provost, and I’m pleased that he’s coming,” Aiken said.
Staben and Wiencek both have a background in hard science, but Aiken said Wiencek’s ability to be a strong decision maker for the university is more important than his academic discipline.
Aiken said Wiencek would be included in internal conversations to try and make the transition as smooth as possible. She said Wiencek is congenial, bright and well intentioned — characteristics that will serve him well as provost.
With children in middle school, Wiencek said he hopes to have a long tenure at UI and set up roots in Moscow.
“I’m humbled,” he said. “But I’m thrilled and I am feeling confident that I can make a huge, positive difference for the University of Idaho.”
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]