By Cole Strzelecki
Within any college or university, there exists an administration. This administration contains various roles that help the institution run smoothly, such as the University President, various Deans, trustees, and much more. One role in particular, however, is essential for being the leading player in the academic side of the college, analyzing data about its programs to guide the entire institution toward success. This role is that of the Provost.
At Western New England University, Maria Toyoda filled the Provost role. She acted as the center point of contact for all five of the University’s colleges and managed all aspects of its academics. However, at the end of January, it was announced that Provost Toyoda would leave the university for greater opportunities.
“Maria has been selected as the next President of the Western Association of Colleges and Schools (WASC),” an email from the Senior Vice President of Enrollment Management, Greg Matthews, explained. This new role gives Toyoda a career as head of a review team of West Coast schools that looks at the different colleges in that area to see how they’re doing academically, financially, organizationally, and more. Her transition from the Provost role was set for mid-February, and though she will stick around a little longer to assist with the transition process, she plans to depart fully in early March.
This departure begs the question of who will fill this open position. Luckily, the University has already thought of that, appointing Lisa Celovsky as Interim Provost for the time being. Celovsky was already in the vice provost position before this change, so she has a grasp of what the full provost position entails from her work in her previous position and from working closely with Toyoda.
Even before coming to Western New England University, Celovsky had had duties similar to those of a Provost. With a PhD in English, Celovsky worked as Suffolk University’s Associate Dean of their College of Arts and Sciences and was the director of its Honors Program from 2013 to 2021. In that position, she helped run and manage the college’s academic programs for Suffolk University and supported the Arts and Sciences Dean. Around that time, she met Toyoda.
“I came with Maria to WNE in 2021,” Celovsky explained. “She was my Dean at Suffolk for 5 years, and we worked well together.” The two decided to come to Western New England University for various reasons, but for Celovsky specifically, the institution’s mission appealed to her. “The education-based mission of the university is one I believe very deeply in. I love the sense of community we have where we, even though we may be doing different things, share that mission, and we understand what we’re doing across the different units.”
Celovsky’s goal as Interim Provost is to continue progressing with Toyoda’s work, which she had set in place before her departure. “Provost Toyoda started many new academic programs for graduates and undergraduates, and she has built a much greater research capacity,” said Celovsky. Because of Toyoda, Western New England University has received several grants, created a center for advanced manufacturing at the University, and fostered the development of the Golden Bear Discovery General Education Program, the University’s newly reformed general education course program. “I will continue to do some of the things I was doing as Vice Provost and also take on some of the things that Provost Toyota was doing to maintain that section of our University.”
But with all of the work Toyoda did in her position and how much Celovsky was already doing, one might worry that it will be too much for one person to take on. Luckily, Western New England University has planned for that, too. “Greg Matthews is the Senior Vice President, so he is more in the role that Maria was in before she left. He will be taking on some of her tasks,” Celovsky described.
Alongside Matthews, the duties of the Provost will also be given to Julie Richardson and Dominic Seguro. Richardson is the University’s former Registrar and Associate Provost and will return full-time until after this year’s graduation to help manage some of the Provost’s responsibilities. Seguro has been promoted to Assistant Provost of Student Success, and the Career Center and Student Accessibility Services’ advising and tutoring will now report to him. “So, they’ve just taken on a little more to run some things that I used to be in charge of to help keep things from being too complicated,” explained Celovsky.
With the departure of a Provost, a university’s stability might start to crack with such a vital role’s absence. However, with Western New England University’s plan, the University will remain stable in this transition. “We are anticipating having a search for a new provost starting this spring and into the fall, where a group of faculty and staff will do a national search to find a replacement provost,” said Celovsky. “If we do hire a replacement Provost, it’s usually on the academic year cycle, so it would mean that we would search in the fall, probably have campus visits and interviews through the winter and into the spring, and most likely have somebody starting in, say, July 2026.”
Until a new Provost joins the administration, Western New England University will continue its temporary Provost plan. Provost Toyoda’s presence at this University will be missed, but her legacy will continue through her ideas, projects, and developments that will slowly be implemented into the University’s systems. Through the efforts of Celovsky and everyone else taking on the Provost position’s many responsibilities, this university’s academic structure is in good hands.
