Capitalizing on his 30 years of experience at the University, interim Provost Paul Courant was publicly offered the permanent position by President Mary Sue Coleman at yesterday's Board of Regents meeting.

Coleman said she consulted many people regarding the decision, including deans and faculty, and ultimately selected him to maintain stability within the administration and to take advantage of his previously established relationships with faculty members.
"Given all that, rather than have another large search, we needed to do this and move forward," she said, adding that Courant had been critical in acquainting her to the University.

Courant has served as the interim provost and executive vice president of academic affairs since Jan. 1. He took the position over after University Vice President and Secretary Lisa Tedesco stepped down as interim provost in order to focus more attention on the presidential search.

The position became vacant after former Provost Nancy Cantor left the University in Spring 2001 to head the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Courant, who earlier told The Michigan Daily that he was focusing on day-to-day affairs as interim, said he now can look at the position's long-term possibilities.

"President Coleman just told me that we were moving in this direction in the last couple of days," he said. "I can see farther over the horizon now."

He said he believes his biggest challenge will be to keep the University's tuition as low as possible while still improving education.

"The provost has an opportunity to invent new knowledge, to invent new courses of studying that other universities can't provide," Courant said. "The two biggest challenges are to make sure that we are always that kind of place and that we can take advantage of being that kind of place."

Over the last year, Courant has been involved in raising tuition 7.9 percent and planning the budget, the naming of leadership positions in the Life Sciences Institute, the recommendation of history Prof. Terrance McDonald to fill the interim LSA dean position, and repeatedly provided the campus community with the University's position during last year's negotiations with the Graduate Employees Organization, among other things.
Courant said he is eager to continue helping and serving students as provost.

"In the beginning and in the end what this University has to be about is the students," he said. "They are the guiding vision of what we do."

Courant will assume his new title Oct. 1 and hold it until July 31, 2005 unless it is extended. The appointment must still be formally approved by the regents, though yesterday they expressed their support.

"You've given us a lot to think about," Regent S. Martin Taylor (D-Grosse Pointe) joked during the meeting.