There’s a lot of confusion and uncertainty surrounding former Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy’s abrupt resignation this week. But several faculty tell WGLT they’re pleased – and even excited – to see Provost Aondover Tarhule take the reins as ISU’s interim leader.
At Friday’s meeting ISU’s Board of Trustees is expected to name Tarhule as interim president through June 2024.
Tarhule became ISU’s top academic official in summer 2020, meaning his first full semester was also ISU’s first full semester under COVID-19 protocols.
“He really got a baptism by fire in his role, and I think he’s really proven himself to the faculty and students over the last couple of years,” said Lea Cline, an art history professor and member of the Academic Senate. Cline chaired the search committee that hired Tarhule.
Cline said she also appreciates that he’s an academic – someone who rose through the ranks as a faculty member. “He really feels like one of us,” Cline said.
“I think he’s got a lot of talent for getting along well with people and bringing people together. I feel really positive about the direction he can take us. I had nothing but good relationships with President Kinzy, so I’m sorry it has to be under these circumstances. But I have a lot of faith and am really excited to see what he does.”
One of the biggest initiatives on Tarhule’s watch has been the launch of ISU’s College of Engineering. That work began under President Larry Dietz and continued in the Kinzy administration. It wasn’t easy, including initial resistance from the Academic Senate. But the equity-oriented college proposal advanced and ultimately won approval from the Illinois Board of Higher Education in 2022, with plans for the first class of students in fall 2025.
Tarhule has been deeply involved.
“We’ve all seen how he went about doing that. Gathering information, getting feedback, and going through all these millions of hurdles that one has to go through,” said Cline.
Tarhule has a good rapport with faculty and will make an excellent interim leader, said John McHale, a communication professor and a member of the Academic Senate.
“My interaction with Provost Tarhule has revealed a great curiosity in his mind about the various academic units, how they operate,” McHale said. “He really has tried to understand our university culture, and that’s reflected in his interaction with faculty members and students.”
Before ISU, Tarhule was vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Binghamton University, part of the state universities of New York. He moved into administrative work while at the University of Oklahoma. The opportunity to revive a geography program that was struggling intrigued him, according to a story in ISU’s alumni magazine. He agreed to become chair.
Tarhule was raised in a Nigerian community that still has no electricity or running water. A physical geographer, Tarhule’s work on climate impacting water scarcity and security has been featured in National Geographic and Nature. Tarhule also mentors doctoral students in African universities.
“We are strong, but we can always be stronger,” he told ISU’s alumni magazine, citing as areas of growth micro-credential offerings and additional options of a combined undergraduate and master’s degree program, which ISU offers in accounting and criminal justice sciences.
“It’s very hard to boost your enrollment through traditional courses. We need to identify areas where there is need on the employment side and leverage those opportunities,” Tarhule said.
