Mike Garrison, president, West Virginia University, today announced his appointment of E. Jane Martin, PhD., RN, FAAN , as interim provost. Martin served as the dean of the School of Nursing at WVU for 15 years and most recently served as the senior advisor to the vice president for health sciences.

Dr. Martin has shown amazing talents as an academic administrator for the University,Garrison said.With her credentials, along with her 15 years of service at WVU , she will play an integral role in the rebuilding of our Universitys reputation for integrity and academic excellence.

The Office of the Provost is responsible for the administration of academic policies and programs.

I see this as an opportunity to give back to my University at a very challenging time,she said Wednesday.WVU has been very good to me. I was an undergraduate in nursing and in the College of Arts and Sciences in the 1960s, I remained close to my colleagues here throughout my professional career at other universities, and I was truly happy with the tremendous opportunity I had to come back home and lead the School of Nursing.

Martins teaching career began at Ohio State University, where she earned a masters degree in English and taught undergraduate English courses for four years. After completing her PhD, she taught for 30 years at the masters and doctoral levels at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Akron, and WVU . At Pitt, she was an associate dean and led the doctoral program in nursing; at Akron she was dean of nursing.

Wherever I have worked as an administrator, my approach has been that administration is a serviceservice to the faculty and to the academic leadership, and through them to the students,she said.Before taking on this task, I talked with most of the associate provosts at WVU , and sought their advice and counsel. I am committed to carrying on the initiatives that have already begun and on strengthening the academic mission of the University.

My door will always be open. I listen to people, and I care about what they say. Although I cant always do what everyone asks, I will always listen and provide a rationale for my decisions.

At the WVU School of Nursing, Martins focus was on the continuing shortage of nurses across the state and region, and on developing graduate programs to support the more central role that advanced-practice nurses play in the heath-care system. As a result of her work, WVU s undergraduate nursing programs have grown substantially in enrollment, and WVU nursing faculty have taken leadership roles in workforce development efforts. WVU also added its first Ph.D. program in nursing during her time as dean.

I have worked with Jane Martin since her appointment as Dean of Nursing at WVU ,said senior associate provost Russell K. Dean, Ph.D.She is well-versed in academic leadership issues and I have great confidence that she will be an excellent interim provost. I look forward to working with her.

Added Fred Butcher, Ph.D., interim vice president for health sciences at WVU ,Jane Martin has extensive leadership experience that will serve her well in her role as interim provost. She has a proven track record of dealing with the challenges of undergraduate recruitment, retention and educationfinding solutions that bring new opportunities to WVU students without sacrificing quality. By virtue of her national leadership roles she brings a national perspective to the challenges that our students face.