Justin Schwartz has been appointed as Penn State’s executive vice president and provost on a permanent basis, effective May 1, according to a university news release on Sunday night. He had held the position in an interim capacity since August.
Schwartz was selected following a national search led by a 19-member committee. He previously served as dean of Penn State’s College of Engineering since 2017.
As provost, Schwartz is the university’s chief academic officer and oversees all academic units at each campus.
“Justin is the right person to lead our academic enterprise to new levels of success, and I am thrilled that he is now a permanent member of the leadership team,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said in a statement. “Justin is a forward-thinking, collaborative leader with a proven record of recruiting and retaining talented, diverse faculty and staff, and investing in their development; of facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations that span academic domains; and creating opportunities for student academic, career and life success.”
Schwartz succeeds Nick Jones, who stepped down in August after nine years as executive vice president and provost. A university news release at the time indicated Jones would serve as special adviser to Bendapudi through the end of the year before moving to a faculty role, but in October was hired as executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs of the University of Illinois System.
The search committee and Bendapudi both cited Schwartz’s commitment to the university’s mission of providing access to high-quality education and the Commonwealth Campuses. The committee also cited his personal research portfolio, growth of the College of Engineering’s research enterprise during his tenure as dean and the relationships he has developed with faculty.
“I am humbled and honored to serve this incredible institution as its next executive vice president and provost,” Schwartz said. “Working with Neeli and her leadership team has been a privilege for the last eight months, and the opportunity now to partner with her and our entire community to implement her vision for the University is exciting.
“Our people are what make Penn State so special, and my success will be measured by the accomplishments of our deans and chancellors, our faculty and staff, and our students. I look forward to working collaboratively and embracing new ideas to advance the University’s land-grant mission and open doors for even greater excellence, innovation and impact on the communities we serve.”
He reports directly to the president and is a member of President’s Council, chair Penn State’s Council of Academic Deans and the Academic Leadership Council and is an ex officio member of the University Faculty Senate and Senate Council. He will help to lead Penn State’s next strategic plan and efforts to related to the university’s academic quality and research impact, its land grant mission and elevating its national and international stature, according to the release.
A Chicago native, Schwartz holds a doctorate in nuclear engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His 33-year academic career as a professor, researcher and academic administrator has included stints at the University of Illinois, Florida State and North Carolina State.
During his nearly five years as College of Engineering dean, Schwartz led a facilities master plan that includes construction of multiple new buildings and overhaul of existing ones to modernize the college’s infrastructure. He also increased tenure-line engineering faculty by about 30% over four years and helped grow the college’s endowments to $400 million.
Schwartz launched the Engineering Equity Initiative, helped to create the Law, Policy and Engineering Initiative and led efforts that increased the College of Engineering’s external research awards by more than 50%.
