Dr. Andrew Daire Named Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce that Dr. Andrew Daire will serve as UW-Milwaukee’s next Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, starting June 1, 2023.

The provost and vice chancellor reports directly to me, serves as a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet, and functions as chief academic officer of the institution overseeing all academic operations, which includes 102 undergraduate majors, 67 master’s degrees, one specialist degree program, and 38 doctoral programs. The role is responsible for administration of all schools and colleges, enrollment management and many other centers, institutes, and units in the Division of Academic Affairs. Dr. Daire will oversee the division’s annual budget of approximately $315 million and co-direct the university’s annual budgeting process, encompassing about $659 million (inclusive of financial aid) for all non-auxiliary divisions, including UWM’s central infrastructure and administration.

There was an extensive pool of candidates following a national search, and a process that included significant campus input in support of this hiring result. My thanks go to Dr. Mark Schwartz, Distinguished Professor of Geography in the College of Letters and Science, for his efforts as chair of the search and screen committee, as well as the committee members and all who provided support for this recruitment.

Dr. Daire brings 31 years of higher education experience to this role, including his most recent position as Dean of the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), which he has held since 2016. Under his leadership, the school has been second only to the VCU School of Medicine in external funding supporting research, doubled enrollment, increased U.S. News & World Reporting ranking to #16 for public graduate schools of education, and resolved significant fiscal challenges to the point of garnering investment funding from the institution’s budget model. Prior to VCU, Dr. Daire served at the College of Education’s associate dean for research at the University of Houston. He also spent 13 years at the University of Central Florida, where he co-founded the university’s Marriage and Family Research Institute, among other accomplishments. Throughout his career, Dr. Daire has built a reputation as a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, a champion for student success, an advocate for research advancement, and a treasured colleague. I am confident that Dr. Daire’s expertise and leadership will be strong assets to UWM.

I extend my sincere and deep thanks to Dean of the College of Letters and Science and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Scott Gronert who has been successfully serving as interim provost and vice chancellor of Academic Affairs since May 2022. Dr. Gronert has effectively led UWM forward as more students and faculty returned to our campuses, advanced the 2030 Action Team initiatives including school and college realignment and GER reform, been a strong steward of UWM’s finances, and been a continuous presence at institutional and community events in support of our students, faculty, staff, and partners. And he has done all of this with excellence. UWM owes Scott substantial gratitude and praise for his strong leadership in his interim role. I am most grateful that Scott has agreed to continue to serve as Interim Provost through May 31, 2023, and then will return to the College of Letters and Science, to provide critical academic leadership as the Dean of UWM’s largest college.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Daire on his new appointment and welcoming him to the Panther community.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone, PhD
Chancellor