Northwest’s Office of the Provost is settling on three finalists to fill the vacant provost position after searching since November 2025.
The Office of the Provost promotes collaboration and initiatives that shape academic life, according to its website. Jamie Hooyman, former provost for Northwest, served nine years in the position and retired Dec. 19, 2025. The provost oversees all academic programs and works with the university president to develop budgets and policies for the university.
The Office of the Provost held two public sessions for all candidates separately. Each had one for the stakeholders at 11 a.m. and one for students at 1:30 p.m. the day they presented.
Rose Marie Ward
The first candidate, Rose Marie Ward, is the special assistant to the provost for the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. She held her public sessions Jan. 13 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom.
Ward said her personal qualities for provost include being a people person, a learner at heart, a data enthusiast, a skilled communicator, being open to the unexpected and good at finding what inspires others.
“Whatever it is, make sure you're doing something that sparks joy,” Ward said. “When you find something and it excites you, you want to go back and do a better job. That’s what excites me about being provost, is that opportunity to find out about students, to find out what's going on and just celebrate all the time.”
Ward has a Ph.D. and M.A. in experimental psychology from the University of Rhode Island in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and a B.S. in psychology and communication from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
Prior to her role at UC, she served in administrative roles at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
When asked how she would help improve student enrollment at Northwest, Ward said she will look at student background and statistics and try to build connections with students.
“I looked at some of your (Northwest’s) enrollment trends,” Ward said. “‘Where did you guys go to high school? Are those high schools still sending students? Are we leveraging those connection points?’ Think about your peer group. Think about how you learn about things. Those are the channels we need to start leveraging, and that primary channel right now for college is relationships.”
Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at East Texas A&M Raymond Green speaks to Northwest faculty Jan. 20 about why he should be the next provost. Green said his personal qualities are his student-centered strategic vision, integrity, collaboration, innovation and enrollment management.
Raymond Green
Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at East Texas A&M University — in Hunt County, Texas — Raymond Green is the second candidate. He has served in his position at East Texas A&M University since 2000. His sessions were Jan. 20 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Boardroom.
Green has a Ph.D. and M.S. in social psychology from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and a B.A. in psychology from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
Green said his personal qualities that would make him a successful provost are his student-centered strategic vision, integrity, collaboration skills, innovation and enrollment management.
He said as provost, he will strive to establish a solid definition of what academic freedom is. He said he will also remember the mission of the University in order to support students and faculty.
“These are interesting times,” Green said. “I know that we understand that we know who we are, we know our vision, we know what we do, and I think one of the things that people in the roles of president and provost need to do while we're doing the day-to-day things is help get that story back out.”
Chief academic officer at Georgia Highlands College Sarah Coakley speaks to faculty about why she chose to apply to Northwest at the provost forum Jan. 21. Coakley said she loves her current job but is ready for new opportunities.
Sarah Coakley
Sarah Coakley, provost and chief academic officer at Georgia Highlands College in Floyd County, Georgia, is the last finalist up for provost. Her sessions were Jan. 21 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom.
She began at Georgia Highlands College in 2013. She has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a B.A. in chemistry from the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Coakley said she loves her job and the students at Georgia Highlands College, but wants new opportunities, especially since her daughter will soon start kindergarten.
“What’s the right time to start looking for a new opportunity?” Coakley said. “That’s how I started looking at what could be next for me, and I came across Northwest.”
Coakley spoke on student enrollment status, similarly to the other two candidates. She said this was also an issue at Georgia Highlands College, and she found that looking at student backgrounds and generational change can help understand enrollment numbers.
Coakley also talked about DEI during her session. She said the importance of DEI shouldn't be the wording, but how the faculty serves all of its students, regardless of personal views, and staff should treat students with respect.
Coakley said policies may change in a few years, but that should not change how faculty support their students. She said in the end, the job for faculty is to give students an education so the students can attain good opportunities.
“No policy, no directive should change who we are at our core and how we support our students,” Coakley said. “We’re all rowing in the same direction to get our students into good jobs, cross that stage, provide for their family and contribute to the real world.”
Those who attended these sessions were able to submit feedback regarding the potential of the candidate through a form sent by Northwest News.
This story is brought to KXCV-KRNW by The Northwest Missourian, the campus newspaper of Northwest Missouri State University.