ASHLAND — Ashland University professor Gregory McBrayer recently received a promotion: he’s now serving as the school’s top academic official, the provost.
Who is McBrayer?
McBrayer has been part of the AU faculty since 2017. He served as the school’s director of core curriculum and as the assistant director of the Ashbrook Scholars program.
He has also served in executive positions on the school’s faculty senate, but gave up his role as president of that body to take on the provost mantle.
McBrayer replaced previous provost Amiel Jarstfer on March 17, per a release sent to faculty and staff. Jarstfer’s faculty page stated he came to AU in 2019.
(Below is a copy of the release sent to university staff and faculty.)
AU President Jon Parrish Peede said the transition aimed to “position the university for long-term success.”
It also stated more changes to university leadership would be announced “in the coming weeks.”
McBrayer is set to stay on as provost throughout the 2025-2026 academic year. The university told Ashland Source it has “no plans to launch a search for the position in the near future.”
The release did not say why Jarstfer was leaving the post. It did say Jarstfer would remain in an advisory position through the end of the year.
The university declined to comment on why Jarstfer was leaving or whether he’d be paid in his advising position. The school cited a policy that it doesn’t comment on personnel decisions.
As provost, McBrayer said his charge is overseeing the academic vision of the university. The job includes dealing with budgets, faculty, improving morale, overseeing deans and arbitrating disputes.
McBrayer’s vision
For McBrayer, taking on a leadership position wasn’t something he necessarily aspired to achieve. He said he prefers teaching, reading and writing. He would like to return to the classroom at some point.
I think that in the past, Ashland has looked to survive, and in my mind, the only way that we survive is if we aim to thrive.
Gregory McBrayer, AU Provost
But when the president and his colleagues expressed confidence in him taking over the provost job, he said he felt a sense of duty.
Communicating a long-term vision for the university to faculty is important to McBrayer.
It’s also a task McBrayer believes he can tackle effectively. He attributes that to the trust he’s built with faculty members during his time as a faculty member himself. He said so far, the faculty has been receptive to his new role.
As for vision, McBrayer wants AU to pursue excellence. On the academic side, that comes with an emphasis on hiring excellent faculty members who’ll help build their departments.
“I’ll admit that informally to folks for years, I’ve been pushing these ideas … I’ve said it before Senate, I’ve said it before the Board of Trustees, I’ve said it in open meetings,” he said.
“I think that in the past, Ashland has looked to survive, and in my mind, the only way that we survive is if we aim to thrive. If we aim to survive, we probably won’t succeed.”
He also hopes to help faculty understand the choices the school makes regarding funding and allocating other resources.
Those aims will be high-priority for McBrayer, even if they’re also challenging — particularly in a time when higher education is grappling with struggles from an upcoming enrollment cliff to universities shuttering their doors.
