Interim provost named at Columbus State University. Here’s more on school leadership changes
Like an all-star relief pitcher repeatedly called into games to help the team through a tough time, Patrick McHenry has accepted another temporary leadership role at Columbus State University.
McHenry will be CSU’s interim provost and executive vice president, assuming those duties as Deborah Bordelon leaves for a similar second-in-command position at the University of Houston-Downtown.
Bordelon’s final day at CSU will be May 31, but McHenry will start his new position May 16 “to allow for a smooth transition of academic leadership,” the university announced in a news release.
This is McHenry’s fourth interim appointment in his 26 years at CSU. He currently is the associate provost, associate vice president for undergraduate education and a professor of English. He has been associate dean of the College of Letters & Sciences, interim dean of the College of Letters & Sciences, interim chair of the Department of English and interim dean of the College of the Arts.
“Dr. Pat McHenry is a shining example of transferable leadership,” retiring CSU president Chris Markwood said in the news release. “His tenure at Columbus State has been marked by guiding multiple areas of campus through leadership transitions, all the while maintaining quality contributions to his primary role as an associate provost. We are fortunate to be able to call on him once again during this time of administrative transition.”
Markwood’s final day as CSU president will be June 30. John Fuchko III, the University System of Georgia’s vice chancellor for organizational effectiveness, will serve as interim president of Columbus State.
McHenry explained to the Ledger-Enquirer why he accepted this new role after Markwood, Bordelon and Fuchko asked him.
“To some degree, you have to rely on others to tell you where you can best contribute in any organization,” he said. “... The university is going through what might seem like a period of transition with an outgoing president and interim president and outgoing provost and then a new president to be named later. So maybe I can help out by being a familiar face, somebody who knows a little about the operation of the university. … Change always is a little upsetting, but at the same time, it opens up new opportunities, so I’m very optimistic.”
McHenry earned a bachelor of arts degree from St. Ambrose College, a master’s degree in English from Middle Tennessee State University and a doctorate in English renaissance literature from Ohio University.
He has served CSU on the Facilities Master Plan Steering Committee, College of the Arts Dean Search Committee, Capital Projects Task Force, and Arnold Hall and Howard Hall Renovations. In the community, he has volunteered for the Regional Council of the River Valley Regional Commission, the Citizens Advisory Committee for Columbus and Phenix City Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the City of Columbus Alternative Transportation Plan.
