University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced today the appointment of Christopher P. Long as provost and senior vice president at the university. Long is a higher education leader with twenty years of experience building programs at the top public research universities of Michigan State University and Penn State. The selection follows a national search, and he will begin his term on June 17.
Long is the current dean of the College of Arts & Letters and the Honors College at Michigan State University, a position he has held since 2015. He is also a professor of philosophy and MSU Research Foundation Professor, and a noted advocate of public scholarship, open access, and digital approaches to research and teaching.
As the UO’s chief academic officer, Long will oversee the university’s eight schools and colleges, graduate program, libraries, museums and academic support programs, ensuring the highest quality of scholarly activity and educational programs at the university.
“Chris is a visionary leader with a demonstrated track record of catalyzing innovation in teaching and scholarship,” President Scholz said. “The search committee was especially impressed by his commitment to collaboration, equity, openness and values-enacted leadership. His dedication to collaborative initiatives that support the interests of students, faculty and staff will make him an invaluable leader as we advance the university’s mission.”
“The University of Oregon is a world-class public research university rooted in the rich tradition of the liberal arts and the highest caliber of professional studies,” Long said. “And I am grateful and humbled to join such a vibrant community as provost. I look forward to working with every member of the university community to continue to advance a culture of mutual flourishing in which everyone is wholly empowered to do their best, most meaningful work.”
During his nine years as the arts and letters dean at MSU, Long elevated the college’s international reputation by creating new centers, programs and departments focused on collaborative research, raising resources for more than ten new endowed professorships and chairs, enriching student experiences, advancing equity, and increasing external research funding across the arts and humanities. This included creating a new Department of African American and African Studies, the Citizen Scholars program, the Excel Network and the Enhanced Digital Learning Initiative. Since 2021, he has also led the honors college, helping to diversify the student body and enhance the undergraduate research experience.
As dean, Long was credited with building trust among faculty and staff through a strategic planning process in the arts and letters college focused on equity, openness and community, redressing salary inequities, enhancing undergraduate experience and reimagining the promotional and tenure process to elevate and support faculty’s most meaningful work.
An advocate of public scholarship, open access and digital approaches to research and teaching, he is cofounder of the Public Philosophy Journal, an open forum for the curation and creation of accessible scholarship that deepens our understanding of issues related to public relevance, and editor of The Journal for General Education, a publication focused on general education as a cornerstone of efforts to prepare citizens to live engaged, responsible and meaningful lives.
With a formidable record of securing grants and fundraising, Long has received over $7 million in research funding as primary investigator for projects that include over $3.7 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to improve the teaching of less commonly taught languages with the Big Ten Academic Alliance and almost $1 million for the HuMetricsHSS initiative, which seeks to transform the academy by aligning shared values with the policies and practices that shape academic life. Long also cochairs the Big Ten Academic Alliance Liberal Arts and Sciences Deans group.
“As we propel the university forward guided by a new strategic plan, I am confident that Chris’ vision and experience will enhance our commitment to student success, career preparation, belonging and flourishing, and accelerating scholarship and impact,” President Scholz said. “I look forward to warmly welcoming him to our Ducks family and collaborating closely with him for years to come.”
President Scholz also thanked Professor Leslie Leve and the search committee for recruiting “an outstanding pool of diverse and experienced candidates.” He expressed deep gratitude to Interim Provost Karen Ford for her many contributions.
Prior to joining MSU, Long was associate dean for graduate and undergraduate education and a professor of philosophy and classics in the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State. He received his master of arts and doctorate from the New School for Social Research in New York and bachelor of arts from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.