Wake Forest Appoints New Provost

The following message was sent to the campus community this morning on behalf of President Nathan O. Hatch.

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Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:

I am pleased to announce that Rogan Kersh, a Wake Forest alumnus, has accepted my offer to serve as the University’s next provost and a professor of political science, with the full support of the Provost Search Committee and the endorsement of Jim Williams, Chair of the Board of Trustees.  I could not be more pleased that Dr. Kersh will be returning to Wake Forest to fill such a critical role for the University. He is a dynamic leader who has used his talents for teaching, strategic planning and administrative management to the benefit of every university he has served.

Please join me in welcoming Rogan and his wife Sara Pesek to Wake Forest during a reception today at 12 p.m. in the Green Room of Reynolda Hall.

Dr. Kersh currently serves as the associate dean of academic affairs and professor of public policy at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He studies the U.S. health care policy system and is a nationally recognized expert on obesity. He will assume his new duties as Wake Forest’s chief academic officer with responsibility for supervising and administering the academic programs and plans of the university’s Reynolda Campus this summer.

The position of provost was attractive to a diverse pool of exceptionally talented and experienced candidates. The final selection was difficult, but we have found the right person to build on the excellent foundation already in place. The entire University owes Mark Welker a debt of gratitude for his service as interim provost while the search was under way. The staff in the Provost’s Office has also performed admirably during this time of transition.

I also must recognize the work of the Provost Search Committee. The appointment of a provost is one of the most important decisions that a president makes and I am grateful for the advice and input the committee provided throughout the process.

As provost, Dr. Kersh will promote academic excellence throughout the University. In collaboration with numerous individuals and offices he will guide efforts to integrate academic elements across campus and promote Wake Forest’s overall excellence and distinction. Dr. Kersh will work in close partnership with the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration in leading a transparent budgeting process that enables and supports the academic priorities of the University, and ensure that resources are allocated effectively and appropriately in support of the University’s strategic goals.

After graduating with a B.A. in political science from Wake Forest in 1986, Dr. Kersh earned two masters’ degrees and a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University where he also began his teaching career. He taught political science and public administration at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University for ten years and has served in his current role at NYU since 2006.

Since taking the associate dean role at NYU Wagner, Dr. Kersh has been active in every aspect of the school’s operations, from strategic planning, budgeting, and fundraising to creating an undergraduate program and expanding the number of full-time faculty. He was also heavily involved in NYU governance, chairing or otherwise participating in approximately two dozen university committees and serving on the team responsible for NYU’s expansive global network. Heavily involved in student life, Dr. Kersh and his wife, Sara Pesek, who works in the area of environmental policy, currently live among students in a residential community at NYU.

In addition to his professional credentials, Dr. Kersh brings to the position longstanding connections to Wake Forest. He served for more than a decade on the selection committee for the Reynolds, Carswell, and other named merit scholarships, traveling to Wake Forest each spring semester for a four-day selection event.  Dr. Kersh also served as an informal mentor to several of the scholar recipients during and after their time at Wake Forest, as well as graduates who enrolled in masters programs at NYU, Syracuse, and Yale. Dr. Kersh’s opportunities to represent Wake Forest also include serving as a Luce Scholar in Tokyo, Japan, and contributing to Ed Wilson’s fifth volume of the History of Wake Forest.

Again, I hope you will join me in welcoming Rogan and Sara to Wake Forest during a reception today at 12 p.m. in the Green Room of Reynolda Hall.

Dr. Kersh’s C.V. and other information is available here.

Sincerely,

Nathan O. Hatch
President