Chancellor Appoints Foster as Provost
COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri-Columbia Chancellor Brady Deaton announced today that Brian Foster has been appointed as provost at MU. Foster will begin this August.
“We are very pleased that Brian has agreed to join us and bring his proven leadership to enhance the Mizzou mission,” Deaton said. “His passion, experience and expertise make him the ideal person for this position. He is bringing extensive leadership and visionary skills to MU at a critical juncture in our own path towards excellence. I am very excited about the contributions and commitment to academic excellence he will make to MU. We are confident that his inclusive administrative skills and energetic approach will improve the quality of education we offer to all of our students.”
Foster joined the University of New Mexico as provost and vice president for academic affairs in April 2000. He received his bachelor's degree in history from Northern Illinois University in 1967, and his master's and doctorate degrees in anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1968 and 1972, respectively.
“This is a great opportunity and I'm very excited about coming to the University,” Foster said. “MU is an enormous resource for the state of Missouri, including economic development, outstanding undergraduate education, scientific research, extension work across the state and professional education. It is our job to serve the citizens of the state, educate our students and create a better quality of life. I'm excited to become a part of that in Missouri.”
At the University of New Mexico, he led the strategic planning process and has guided that campus through a period of significant growth and achievement as well as provided leadership for information technology on campus, and worked on projects for the freshman experience, academic advising and retention efforts.
Foster's academic work, including both teaching and research, has been supported by several national grants, including two grants from the National Science Foundation. He is a member of the American Anthropological Association, the Association for Asian Studies, the American Association for Higher Education and Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to his current employment, Foster was a member of the anthropology faculty at the State University of New York-Binghamton; he was graduate dean at Arizona State University, dean of arts and sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a professor of anthropology at both institutions.
For media inquiries, please contact Christian Basi, assistant director, MU News Bureau, at (573) 882-4430 or BasiC@missouri.edu.