photo by: University of Kansas

Arash Mafi

UPDATED 7:35 P.M. FEB. 19

The University of Kansas is getting a new provost — the day-to-day leader of the university’s academic operations — and surprisingly will have a new leader of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences too.

KU Chancellor Douglas Girod on Friday named Arash Mafi as KU’s next provost and chief academic officer. Mafi is currently the executive dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which led to an unexpected announcement of a new leader for that college, which is the largest at KU.

Jennifer Roberts, who is KU’s senior vice provost for academic affairs, has been named as the new executive dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In a message to university faculty and staff, Girod said announcing two new leaders for the university “was not something he anticipated,” but he said the provost search — which was restricted to internal candidates — produced a strong pool of applicants, which gave him confidence in promoting from within to fill the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Both Mafi and Roberts will begin their new roles on March 2.

Girod said that Mafi emerged as the leading candidate for the provost position as he’s successfully navigated budget challenges while also enhancing student success since joining KU in 2023.

“Arash has distinguished himself as a thoughtful and effective leader, and his experience leading the College positions him to immediately advance ongoing initiatives while also shaping new strategies for the future,” Girod said in the message to faculty and staff.

Mafi came to KU from the University of New Mexico where he was an interim dean and the director of Center for High Technology Materials. A professor in the field of both physics and electrical engineering, has led large interdisciplinary research enterprises and built partnerships with national laboratories, industry and government.

Girod said he and Mafi quickly agreed that the university was in a good position to immediately fill his role as David B. Pittaway Executive Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

“When I offered Arash the provost position, we agreed that Jen’s experience, credibility and deep institutional knowledge make her uniquely prepared to seamlessly transition into this role and lead the College with confidence and consistency,” Girod said.

photo by: University of Kansas

Jennifer Roberts

As senior vice provost for academic affairs, Roberts has provided leadership to undergraduate education, graduate, postdoctoral, academic success, international affairs, national defense initiatives, and several other academic units.

Roberts is trained as a field and laboratory geoscientist, and has participated in more than $7 million in external research funding in the field.

“In her time at KU, Jen has served at every faculty rank and in a wide range of leadership roles, including geology department chair, vice provost for graduate studies and senior vice provost for academic affairs,” Girod said in his message. “Through these experiences, she has developed a deep understanding of the College and our broader academic enterprise. As such, her appointment brings stability and continuity for the College community.”

Mafi is replacing Barbara Bichelmeyer, who has served as KU’s provost for the last six years. Bichelmeyer announced in October that she was resigning from the university’s No. 2 position, but would remain on the KU faculty and return to teaching and research duties.

“During the past six years, Barb helped guide KU out of structural budget deficits, strengthen our financial foundation, achieve record-high enrollment and advance every aspect of our mission,” Girod said in his message. “Through it all, she has been steadfast in her support for faculty, staff and students. She has made KU better, and I am honored to call her a colleague and a friend.”

Shortly after Bichelmeyer’s announcement, Girod announced that he would conduct an internal search for the next provost rather than conduct a nationwide search. Girod said he was confident in the quality of candidates an internal search would produce, and he said KU was at an important time in implementing key initiatives and would benefit by having a provost who already was familiar with the university.

In addition to Mafi and Roberts, KU interviewed two other finalists for the provost position — Donna Ginther, a distinguished professor of economics and director of KU’s Institute for Policy & Social Research, and Michelle Mohr Carney, dean of the School of Social Welfare at KU.