After three years as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Jason Osborne has announced his departure from Miami University. His last day in his role will be June 30.
The announcement came in an email sent to faculty on April 11 from Osborne.
“I believe it is time for my season as provost to draw to a close, to make way for another who can lead Miami in what I see as a period of renewal, growth, and well-deserved success,” Osborne wrote.
In his email, Osborne expressed his belief that as the world returns to normal, Miami will continue to be recognized as an example for other universities.
“I know that Miami University will continue to be seen as a national leader in higher education and a highly desirable place to be a student, faculty member, or staff member,” Osborne wrote.
His departure follows the announcement of the Faculty Alliance of Miami’s (FAM) intent to unionize made public in early February. Since spring 2020, faculty members have been working towards forming a collective bargaining unit to communicate with administration workplace concerns.
In August 2019, Osborne came to the university from Clemson University, where he served as the Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for Graduate Studies for three years.
The provost is responsible for overseeing academic affairs such as cultivating a challenging learning environment and fostering educational opportunities for students. He also works directly with faculty and staff to enhance teaching and research.
During his three years, Osborne has helped carry the university through the COVID-19 pandemic by extending the credit/no credit deadline for the fall 2020 semester, distributing vaccines across campus, navigating the return of in-person classes and more.
Osborne has also modified the Miami Global Plan which will launch in 2023 and consists of four perspective areas and Signature Inquiries instead of the five foundations and a thematic sequence.
He also helped form the Doctor of Nursing Program (DNP) which will launch in the fall of 2024 and will prepare practice nurses for leadership roles.
One of Osborne’s goals when coming to Miami was to improve diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. As provost, he helped implement the One Campus Climate Survey Task Force recommendations to help create a diverse and welcoming climate for students, faculty and staff.
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In an email to the Miami Student, Jessica Rivinius, senior director of News and Communication, commended Osborne on his work during the pandemic and highlighted some of his notable accomplishments.
“We are grateful to Jason for his leadership as provost over the past three years in these unprecedented and challenging times,” Rivinius wrote. “His work on the Boldly Creative initiative and our Strategic Plan has set Miami on the trajectory for a successful future.”
The Boldly Creative initiative promotes data, analytics and programs that span across disciplines to stimulate Ohio’s economy. Some of the programs in the initiative include creating an online master’s program for special education, developing master’s and graduate programs for emerging technology and entrepreneurship and increasing master’s programs within the Farmer School of Business.
The strategic plan aimed to create more partnerships for the university, advance retention rates, enhance diversity, create more majors and expand study abroad. In 2020, Miami University reached all of these goals.
When Osborne’s administration decided to go back to the original credit/no credit policy during the spring 2021 semester, some students expressed concern. His administration also sparked some controversy for Miami’s decision to freeze hiring for non-essential faculty and staff during the pandemic.
According to the email, President Gregory Crawford will announce who will step into the role following Osborne’s departure.
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