Leadership

Executive Vice President and Provost

The Office of the Provost works to raise ESF’s academic profile and achieve higher levels of academic distinction and student success.

Dr. Samuel B. Mukasa was appointed to the role of Executive Vice President and Provost in 2021. As ESF’s chief academic officer, Dr. Mukasa serves as a senior administrator on all issues relating to academic management and general administration of the college in support of the president. In the absence of the president, the Executive Vice President and Provost serves as the College’s Chief Executive Officer.

Prior to ESF, Mukasa served in distinguished leadership roles at the University of Michigan (UM), University of New Hampshire (UNH) and University of Minnesota (UMN). He is a highly regarded researcher in geochemistry, geochronology and petrology. His geochemical research in Antarctica, the Bering Sea, Arctic Ocean, and many other regions has helped to shed new light on the evolution of continents and deep-time changes in Earth’s climate system.

Mukasa has served as president of the Geochemical Society and as Council member for the American Geophysical Union. Other leadership positions have included chairing the Advisory Committee for the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation and serving as member of advisory boards at the National Academy of Sciences focused on plate tectonics, scientific ocean drilling and climate change considerations, among many other scientific and professional leadership roles. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America.

Mukasa holds a Ph.D. in geochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.S. in geology from the Ohio State University and a B.S. in geology from UNH. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in New York and earned a Leadership in Higher Education certificate from the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) at Harvard University. He also received a D.Sc. honorary degree from Nkumba University, Entebbe, Uganda, when he served as commencement speaker.

 

Goals and Objectives

This position reports directly to the ESF President, leads the faculty and academic-facing staff in implementing the institution’s goals, is part of the President’s collaborative leadership executive cabinet, brings fresh ideas and perspectives to improve programs, enhances the College’s academic reputation, and strengthens contributions to global environmental and sustainable resource design, management, research, and stewardship.

 

Academic Chairs Council

Evaluating and recommending academic standards, policies, and issues.