Though the quest for a new Oakland University Provost has yet to begin, the Interim Associate Provost and Interim Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education  positions have been appointed by Interim Provost Susan Awbrey.

Mary Stein, professor of science education and associate dean, has been appointed to serve as Interim Associate Provost and Scott Crabill, associate professor and the director of integrative studies and undergraduate initiatives, has been appointed to serve as Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

As Interim Associate Provost, Stein will be in charge of overseeing several university level units, working on major initiatives and working with the vice provost for research in a campus-wide dialog to figure out the best ways to support research at Oakland.

She will also be in charge of finding new ways to target high-achieving students to bring to the university. She begins her job in August, according to Ted Montgomery, director of media relations at OU.

Stein, who has been a faculty member in the science education department since 1999, said that once she started her administrative career, she wanted to explore new opportunities.

“I first entered administration two years ago, at that time I was just happy to learn and be challenged,” Stein said. “As I settled in, I thought about new opportunities. Not specifically (the Interim Associate Provost) positions, but I enjoyed the (administrative) work.”

When it comes to approaching the duties of her new position, Stein said she believes she can approach issues creatively in hopes of creating solutions.

As Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Crabill will be in charge of monitoring student success and school completion as well as faculty development. He will also be leading an initiative to have Oakland designated as a Carneige Engaged University, which “describes the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in context of partnership and reciprocity,” according to the Carnegie website.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had my sites set on something like (Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education),” he said.

Crabill began part-time teaching at OU in 1998 and reached full-time teaching status in 2001.

He is currently working on bettering student retention rates and said it is time to start talking about what OU can do to improve success for both students and faculty.

“(The) focus is student success and faculty devolopment,” Crabill said. “(It’s a) complex problem to address.”

Crabill said he is honored, excited and grateful for his new position, but finds that his new duties will put a limit on his time spent in the classroom.

“My hardest part is not being able to teach as much as I used to,” Crabill said. “But I will find ways, believe me, I will.”