By Phillip Lentsch–

The ongoing search for a permanent provost at U of L has been resolved, according to an email sent out by Pam Feldhoff and Bruce Henderson, two members of U of L’s Board of Trustees.

The provost selection committee has chosen Interim Provost Neville Pinto as their candidate. Pinto is a professor of chemical engineering at U of L and has served as the Interim Provost since March 2015, following former Provost Shirley Willihnganz’s resignation.

In October 2015, the Board of Trustees approved for an internal search for Provost, much to the dismay of several members of the faculty senate.

“I feel as though the faculty senate doesn’t really have a say in this issue at all,” one professor said after the March 2 faculty senate meeting.

Despite the backlash from some of U of L’s administration, the provost search committee – headed by Dr. Bill Pierce – decided that an internal search was the best option moving forward. According to the committee, Pinto satisfied all the requirements to fill the slot.

Sent in a separate email was the criteria sheet that listed the desired attributes for the Provost position. These included having a terminal degree or a Ph.D, experience with academic leadership, strong interpersonal relationships with the university community, understanding differences between professors across academic disciplines and being an effective team-builder and communicator.

Pinto must be approved by the Board of Trustees to solidify his position. In April, U of L will set up several interviews with him on the Belknap and Health Sciences campuses for students and faculty to engage in discussion with him. The interviews will also be video-streamed for anyone that can’t attend them in person.

This story will be updated.

File photo / The Louisville Cardinal