Fresno State students and faculty will have the opportunity to meet four candidates for the position of university provost and vice president of academic affairs this month.

According to a release from the human resources department, the university’s search for a new provost began in the fall of 2018, following the departure of former provost Lynnette Zelezny in June 2018.

Faculty can meet the candidates during faculty forums, and everyone is invited to attend the candidates’ open forums.

Candidate Dr. Abbey Zink is the current dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Prior to that, she served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University, Kingsville, according to the release.

Zink earned her doctorate in English at Northern Illinois University and her master’s in English and bachelor’s degree in journalism from Marshall University.

Zink will have a faculty forum on March 15 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Henry Madden Library Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room and an open forum on March 15 from 1-2 p.m. in the Henry Madden Library, Room 2206.

Candidate Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis is the founding dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). From 1994-2014, she served as a professor at CSULB and founding director of the National Council of La Raza/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training, according to the release.

Rios-Ellis earned her doctorate in community health and her Master of Science degree in health and fitness management from the University of Oregon.

Rios-Ellis will have a faculty forum on March 18 from 1:45-2:45 p.m. in the Rancheria Reading Room, and will have an open forum on March 19 from 9:30-10:30 a.m., also in the Reading Room.

Candidate Dr. Saul Jimenez-Sandoval is the current dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State. Jimenez-Sandoval earned his doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese literatures from University of California, Irvine.

Jimenez-Sandoval will have a faculty forum on March 22 from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the Henry Madden Library, Room 2206, and an open forum on March 22 from 1:15-2:15 p.m. in the Rancheria Reading Room.

The fourth candidate, Dr. S.K. Ramesh, is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). He formerly served as the dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at CSUN from 2006-2017 and was chair of the department of electrical and electronic engineering at California State University, Sacramento, from 1994-2006, according to the release.

Ramesh earned his doctorate degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, in molecular science with a major in electrical engineering in 1986. He visited campus for a faculty forum on March 5 and an open forum on March 6.

The provost serves as the university’s chief academic officer, overseeing all academic programs, including instruction and research, and providing leadership for academic administrative operations.