Dr. Larry Gould said he would step down today as provost at Fort Hays State University with intentions of returning to the classroom.
Dr. Edward Hammond, FHSU president, announced Dr. Chris Crawford, FHSU assistant provost for 10 years, would become interim provost during the national search to find a permanent replacement.
“Larry has been important to our university’s development, our innovative spirit, our growth and our high-quality educational environment, Hammond said. With his resignation as provost, he will return to the Department of Political Science as a full professor.”
“I haven’t taught in 24 years,” Gould said. “So, I will take leave to prepare classes and then return to the role of a faculty member sometime next year. Steve Trout, prolific author and former chair of the Department of English, used to tell me that there’s a former faculty member in you trying to get out. I look forward to that opportunity to ‘walk the talk’ and use the emerging technologies, collaborative learning and re-imagined pedagogies that I preach about so frequently.”
While Gould will prepare to once again be in the classroom, Crawford, who came to FHSU in 1990 as an instructor of communication, will also work to move into his interim role.
“As interim provost, my sole agenda will be to keep the positive efforts with Academic Affairs moving forward and position the campus for a new provost in fall 2014,” Crawford said.
“Any success I have will be a direct outcome of Larry’s gentle hand and inspired thoughts that I have picked up over the past 10 years,” he said. “This job will be considerably easier because of the great faculty and staff of Academic Affairs. I will rely heavily on the professional relationships I have with the faculty, staff, chairs and deans in the division. Their considerable expertise and patience will serve the university well during this transition period.”
Gould has been a long time fixture at FHSU. He first came to FHSU in August 1981 as a faculty member in Political Science and since has held several positions at FHSU. He founded and directed the Docking Institute of Public Affairs in 1984, and became executive assistant to President Hammond in 1989. President Hammond promoted him to dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1991, and was named provost in 1998.
“In terms of looking back, perhaps the two greatest accomplishments during my tenure as provost were to serve as a catalyst for distance education and to help steer FHSU toward greater involvement in international education, he said. I appreciate the opportunities President Hammond gave me in taking on the responsibilities of both dean and provost.”