May 08, 2014
Burnside named Provost Faculty Fellow
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Randy Burnside, an associate professor in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Department of Political Science, will be the Provost Faculty Fellow for the fall 2014 semester.
The program’s goal is to provide part-time academic leadership experience and skill development to university faculty with an interest in academic administration. Burnside will be involved in regular operations and activities of the Office of Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Under the program, which began about two years ago, fellows gain insight into administrative practices and procedures including budgeting, academic planning, shared governance, student success programming, retention activities and assessment.
John W. Nicklow, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the program also “provides a means to tap innovative talent on campus and allows the infusion of some new perspectives.”
Nicklow said he looks forward to having Burnside involved with a variety of tasks and one or two projects focused on academic affairs and its administrative elements.
Burnside said it’s an honor to have the opportunity to serve as a Provost Faculty Fellow. Burnside has been at SIU Carbondale since 2005, first as an assistant professor before becoming an associate professor in 2011. He is also director of the Master of Public Administration program, and faculty affiliate of the university’s Department of Africana Studies.
“It will be a great opportunity for me to see how the university runs from an administrative perspective,” Burnside said. “It will also give me insight on decision-making at that level that often times faculty do not understand or are confused about.”
Burnside said the fellowship also intrigued him because of his interest in administrative work and his research in public administration heightened the interest. He hopes to gain insight on university administration particularly in the areas of graduate education and recruitment and retention.
Prior to coming to SIU, Burnside was an assistant professor of political science and African-American Studies at the University of Mississippi. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science at Mississippi State University in 1995 and 1997, respectively, and his doctorate in political science at the University of New Orleans in 2004.