Leadership shake-up coming to Penn State as provost is named chancellor finalist at CU Boulder

Less than a year after being named Penn State’s permanent executive vice president and provost, Justin Schwartz is on his way out.

Schwartz was named as the only finalist for the position of University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor, Todd Saliman, president of University of Colorado wrote in a letter to the community Tuesday. As part of the process, Schwartz will visit the campus and participate in open forums scheduled for later this week.

In the letter, Saliman wrote he had hoped to forward more than one finalist but after talking with candidates, “it became clear a multi-candidate pool was not an option.” Therefore, he is only advancing Schwartz as a finalist.

“I believe Dr. Schwartz is the right person to build on the strong foundation already in place and to elevate CU Boulder to even greater heights. He has the skills, experience and spirit to help us continue to serve our students and state as Colorado’s flagship university,” Saliman said.

Saliman went on to say Schwartz is a “bold leader” committed to student success, well-being and belonging, and applauded his background in research enterprise.

In his own letter, Schwartz told the Penn State community the change is bittersweet. He thanked and acknowledged his colleagues and said working with them and Penn State students “has been a highlight of my career.”

“I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunities I have had as dean of the College of Engineering, and most recently as executive vice president and provost. When you are surrounded by incredible people, you grow. I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude for how I have grown and have been shaped by all of you and the We Are spirit. I hope I have been able to offer learning, leadership, understanding, support, and friendship to those around me,” Schwartz said.

He also thanked Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi for her leadership.

“I am grateful to President Bendapudi for the opportunity to serve as your provost and for her guidance and the incredible support she has provided me along the way. Under President Bendapudi’s leadership, in partnership with a talented team of senior leaders, with the alignment of the Board of Trustees, and the collaboration of the larger University community, I know that the institution will emerge stronger than ever. I will watch proudly as the University continues to reach new heights,” he wrote.

In a release, Penn State said it will name an interim provost in the coming weeks and will begin a national search for a permanent provost. Once an interim provost is named, Schwartz will transition to a special adviser role and will provide support to the interim and others in the provost’s office, the release states.

Bendapudi said Schwartz’s academic leadership has been important to the university and wished him luck in his new role.

“I thank him for the contributions he has made as our provost and before that as dean of the College of Engineering and I appreciate his enduring focus and support for students, faculty and staff across the commonwealth throughout his time at the University. I am excited for him and for his family on this incredible opportunity and wish him the very best in his new role,” Bendapudi said in the release.

Schwartz has been at Penn State in different roles since 2017. He was named Penn State’s executive vice president and provost effective May 1, 2023 and held the interim role for about 10 months prior to that. He previously served as Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Penn State’s College of Engineering. He has more than 30 years of experience in higher education.

At Penn State, Schwartz reports directly to Bendapudi. As the university’s chief academic officer, he oversees all academic units within the university’s colleges, schools and campuses.

Schwartz was also one of four finalists for the open provost position at the University of Wisconsin, where he offered a public presentation on the position in April 2023.

University of Colorado Boulder has about 31,000 undergraduate students and is located amid the Rocky Mountains. It’s the only school in the Rocky Mountain Region to make it into the Association of American Universities, a group of 62 research universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.