Godard named as new SEMO provost

Dr. Michael P. Godard, currently the interim provost and chief learning officer at the University of Central Missouri, has been named provost at Southeast Missouri State University.

He succeeds Dr. Tamela Randolph who has served as interim provost since May 2018 following the resignation of Dr. Karl Kunkel. Godard will begin his duties at Southeast July 1.

"We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Godard to the Southeast community," said Dr. Carlos Vargas-Aburto, Southeast president, in a news release.

"Dr. Godard brings with him a wealth of leadership experience that will help us strategize new educational delivery models and innovative academic programs to meet workforce demands and the needs of today's students," Vargas said.

Godard was among four finalists for the position and was selected following a nationwide search that drew interest from more than 50 candidates. Finalists visited campus and met with faculty and staff earlier this spring.

"During his visit to campus, Dr. Godard clearly articulated collaboration, visionary thinking, transparency, communication and listening as keys to effective leadership," Vargas said.

As provost, Godard will serve as Southeast's chief academic officer and will be responsible for matters relating to the university's faculty as well as all academic departments, colleges and Kent Library.

"Southeast is an institution that values students and their success," Godard said in the news release. "The focus on student-centered education and experiential learning, along with the talented faculty and staff who are committed to academic excellence, is what attracted me to Southeast."

Godard added that "being a first-generation college student myself, I feel it is my responsibility to make sure that each student has the opportunity to be successful."

At the University of Central Missouri (UCM) in Warrensburg, Godard has served as interim provost since January 2018. A professor of exercise science, he previously served two years as vice provost for enrollment management and student success and three years as chairman of the nutrition and knesiology department at Central Missouri.

Before joining UCM, he was a faculty member at Western Illinois University in Macomb and the University of Kansas in Lawrence. He has also held research and faculty positions at the University of Southern Maine in Portland and was a doctoral fellow and instructor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

He holds a doctoral degree in human bioenergetics (physiology) from Ball State University, a Master of Arts in exercise physiology from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, and a Bachelor of Science in exercise science from Castleton University in Castleton, Vermont.

He and his wife, Katheryn, are parents of two sons.

jwolz@semissourian.com

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