After more than a decade of service as Elon’s provost and 18 years of exemplary leadership at the university, Steven House has decided to conclude his service as provost by the end of the calendar year, in line with his long-established plans for a leadership transition.
President Connie Ledoux Book will appoint a committee this month to conduct a national search for the next provost. House will remain in the role of provost until his successor is in place and will then continue to provide leadership as executive vice president through the 2020-21 academic year.
“Steven House has been one of the chief architects of Elon’s development as a national institution since he joined the university in 2001 as founding dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences,” Book said. “With a positive spirit and boundless energy, he has guided growth of Elon’s academic programs, constantly striving for the highest levels of excellence. He has been a committed servant-leader who always keeps students at the center of his work.”
House said his work at Elon has been stimulating, challenging and rewarding. “My greatest delight has been working closely with so many supportive colleagues and dear friends who each day commit their every breath to create a student- and learning-centered institution that is now widely recognized as the premier institution in the country for engaged and experiential learning,” House said.
In his eight years as dean of Elon College, House provided leadership for 17 academic departments and 19 academic programs. The number of Elon College faculty increased by 50 percent during his tenure as dean, and the number of students majoring in the liberal arts grew from 37 percent of the student body to just over 50 percent. He helped develop the Elon College Fellows Program and collaborated with the Division of Student Life to expand Elon’s living-learning communities.
Since his promotion to provost and vice president for academic affairs in 2009, House has been responsible for all academic programs, overseeing Elon College and the schools of business, communications and education and establishing new schools of law and health sciences. In a landmark achievement for the university, he worked closely with faculty colleagues to make broad investments in academic resources and programs, culminating in Elon’s successful application to shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter in April 2010.
All operations and divisions of the university have benefited from House’s vision and hard work. He chairs Elon’s long-range planning committee and the university’s budget committee, developing annual financial models for the board of trustees. He provides oversight and leadership for the divisions of student life and admissions and financial planning, Belk Library, the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, Student Professional Development Center, academic advising, registrar, institutional research, honors program, core curriculum, undergraduate research, cultural programs, Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, El Centro de Español, sponsored programs and Elon athletics. He also served as a member of the Elon Commitment strategic planning committee and the presidential search committee.
In 2015, House was promoted to provost and executive vice president in recognition of his accomplishments and leadership contributions throughout the university.
A national search for Elon’s next provost will commence this month. President Book will appoint a search committee that will make recommendations on the choice of a search firm, review candidates and select a group of finalists. Campus listening sessions on the desired qualifications and qualities of the next provost will be scheduled for February.