Throughout this year, the leadership of Iona has seen much movement and change. On April 17, Iona announced that the permanent Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs would be Iona’s own Brian Nickerson.

After the removal of Warren Rosenberg from the provost position in August, Nickerson was appointed interim provost while a search committee was assembled to interview and select a permanent provost.

Computer Science Professor Frances Bailie and Dean of the Hagan School of Business Vincent Calluzzo co-chaired the search committee and narrowed the extensive list down to several qualified applicants. The selected candidates were introduced to Iona’s campus and partook in a lecture series open to the entire community.

After receiving feedback from students and reviewing the candidates, the search committee selected Nickerson for the position.

The news release from the college indicates that his responsibilities will include, “leadership in planning, developing, implementing, and assessing all academic support programs; will have primary responsibility for the academic and academic support portions of the College budget; will provide overall leadership for continued growth of academic programs, and will supervise senior staff and many service areas.”

As a long-standing member of the Iona community and a former graduate, Nickerson will tackle the provost position with enthusiasm and be keenly aware of the areas in which Iona needs improvement.

Bailie expressed confidence in Nickerson’s ability to undertake the provost position. “Nickerson’s application, interview process and presentation to the Iona community clearly demonstrated his dedication to the mission of Iona, his extensive scholarship, his entrepreneurial solution to some of Iona’s challenges and his genuine eagerness to serve the College,” said Bailie.

Coinciding with Bailie’s attitude, Nickerson looks forward to continuing his work at Iona.

“I am thankful for this opportunity to continue in this role and to work hard with the entire community in gaining rightful recognition of Iona College as a truly great institution,” Nickerson said. “I am also hopeful that my efforts will reflect and honor the steadfast work of faculty and staff in educating and supporting our students.”

Nickerson’s appointment is effective immediately and the Iona community is pleased to welcome him in this capacity.