Gabrielle Russon
The University of Central Florida has hired Boise State University Provost John Buckwalter to be the school’s second-highest-ranking official and chief academic officer after a national search.
Buckwalter starts his new job as UCF Provost Aug. 1.
“Dr. Buckwalter brings a results-driven mindset and a deep understanding of the mission of a public research university,” UCF President Alexander Cartwright said in a statement. “His leadership reflects a clear focus on student success, faculty performance and excellence, and strengthening collaborative efforts that support workforce growth and economic development.
It’s an important hire for the Orlando school. The Provost oversees everything from “faculty development and advancement, student success initiatives, strategic review of degree programs, online learning, enrollment planning, analysis and monitoring of performance metrics, budget management and operational effectiveness, classroom space coordination, and cyber security and technological innovation,” according to UCF.
Buckwalter’s annual salary will be $535,000, a 5% increase from what UCF pays current Provost Michael Johnson, who is retiring after a 35-year career at UCF. Johnson is currently paid $509,850.
Johnson rose in the ranks at the Orlando university from a College of Sciences faculty member to a college dean to eventually becoming the Provost after the previous Provost resigned under fire.
“Over three decades of service — including during pivotal moments in our university’s growth — Provost Johnson has helped shape the excellence and ambition that define us today,” Cartwright said.
Buckwalter said he is excited about the opportunity in Florida.
“I am honored to join UCF at such an exciting time in the university’s trajectory,” Buckwalter said in a statement. “The university’s momentum, commitment to excellence, and clear, strategic mission are inspiring and energizing.”
Buckwalter’s background includes multiple degrees. He has a doctoral degree and master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise physiology from the University of Arkansas. He also has two bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and health/physical education from Centenary College, a private school in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“His research has focused on the neural and cardiovascular regulation of blood flow during exercise, and he is a fellow of both the American Physiological Society and the American College of Sports Medicine,” UCF said in the press release.
Before Boise State, Buckwalter worked as the dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Kansas State University.
