Message From the President

Gregor Thuswaldner | February 2024

Dear ACAO Members,

Concetta M. Stewart, a former provost and interim president who is now a principal in the Education practice at Witt/Kieffer, stated, “Many describe the provost as one of the most challenging jobs in higher education yet one of the most important because it is essential to the health and well-being of the institution, its faculty and staff, and, perhaps most importantly, its students.” As CAOs, we know this statement to be true. To do our job well and to continually improve our work as senior administrators, it is important to be connected with colleagues at other institutions.

The Association of Chief Academic Officers is the only national organization geared towards supporting provosts as well as associate and assistant provosts and meeting their unique needs. ACAO provides a community of practice where CAOs and their staff can learn from their counterparts at other colleges and universities through webinars, blog posts, online and in-person meetings and discussions.

I hope you will find ACAO to make a significant contribution to your role in academic affairs at your institution. If you would like to get more involved in the organization or have any questions, please drop me a line.

Sincerely,

Gregor Thuswaldner, Ph.D., MHEA, FRHistS, FRSA
Provost and Executive Vice President, Whitworth University
ACAO President