Taber Named Next Provost and VP of KSU

Kansas State University President Richard Meyers today named Charles Taber as the next provost and vice president of the university.  Taber will replace April Mason who currently holds that same position. 

“I am looking forward to working with the leadership team, faculty, staff and students to tackle our remaining challenges and opportunities,” Taber said in a KSU news release. “The future is bright at K-State, and I am thrilled to be part of it!”

According to the release, Taber will focus on updating the university’s budget as well as building enrollment.  Additionally, Taber will also be working in areas such as resource allocation and academic program innovation. These roles are similar to his work at Stony Brook where he worked in other administrative positions, such as interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and associate dean for postdoctoral affairs.

Aside from working in administrative roles, he has also published a wealth of scholarly articles in political science. He has contributed to more than 50 scholarly journals, and his research primarily centers on the psychology behind public opinion. Taber has received several awards for his work, which includes the Paul Lazersfeld outstanding paper award from the American Political Science Association and the Robert E. Lane Book Award from the Experimental Politics and Migration and Citizenship sections of the APSA. He also worked as an instructor of political science in 1989 at Stony Brook and became a professor in 2008. He has been working in his current position since 2013.

Taber will be working directly with Myers, who said in the news release that Taber is ideally qualified to become the next provost and executive vice president. Taber will report on all of his duties to Myers and will work in all facets regarding the university’s governance. When Myers is absent, Taber will assume the president’s role, as well.

Taber received his doctorate and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in political science, and he received his bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University in political science.  He will be assuming his duties for KSU starting Aug. 15.