Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
jc1@illinois.edu
(217) 333-6677
Assistant:
Theresa Beckett
tbeckett@illinois.edu
(217) 244-4115
As the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, John Coleman oversees the university’s academic programs, policies, and priorities, which are designed to ensure the quality of the educational experience for students and to sustain an environment that encourages and supports academic excellence for faculty, students, and staff. He also oversees the university budget of over $3 billion. He works closely with the chancellor, vice chancellors, the deans of academic colleges and other units, academic staff, the Senate of the Illinois campus, and various committees in setting overall academic and budgetary priorities for the campus. In his role as Provost, he serves as the chief strategic partner for the chancellor in setting the university’s direction and managing its operations. Prior to being named Provost, Coleman served for nine years as the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Before that appointment, he was a faculty member for over 20 years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he was the chair of the Political Science Department, a Lyons Family Faculty Fellow, the Glenn B. and Cleone Orr Hawkins Professor, and a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award. He also held a faculty position at the University of Texas at Austin and was a research associate and instructor at Harvard Business School.
Coleman earned a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in government and history from Clark University where he was a first-generation college student. A nationally recognized scholar, he is the author or editor of seven books on American politics and government and numerous articles in major journals and edited volumes. His research interests include political parties, elections and voting, legislative-executive relations, divided government, campaign finance, American political development, and the intersection of politics and economics. He served as president of the American Political Science Association’s section on political organizations and parties.
Brief Introduction
John Coleman joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as Provost in July 2023. In his role as Provost, he serves as the chief strategic partner for the chancellor in setting the university’s direction and managing its operations. Provost Coleman oversees the university’s academic programs, policies, and priorities with a focus on creating an environment that supports academic excellence for students, faculty, and staff. He also serves as the chief budget officer for the university. Provost Coleman earned a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in government and history from Clark University, where he was a first-generation college student.
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