Ric Steele Selected to Serve as Interim VP for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleague,

The recent leadership changes at KU’s Lawrence and Edwards campuses have given us an opportunity to identify short-term leadership for Academic Affairs.

I’m excited to share that I’ve asked Ric Steele to serve a six-month appointment as interim vice provost of Academic Affairs. I have great confidence in his leadership skills and abilities, and I am certain he will be able to continue progress in activities and initiatives already underway.

Over the next six months, we’ll have time to reflect on the needs of the Academic Affairs unit and how it best serves the university community in the context of One KU as well as supports its key stakeholders. I fully expect that before this window closes, we will have a discussion on how we launch a robust search for the next leader of Academic Affairs

About Ric Steele

For those who may be less familiar with Ric, he has served as vice provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs since 2024 and is a tenured faculty member in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science. During his 25 years at KU, his leadership roles have included director of the Clinical Child Psychology Doctoral Program, associate director of training for the Clinical Child Psychology Program and interim chair of the Department of Economics. He is a licensed psychologist in the State of Kansas, an associate member of Cancer Control and Population Health at the KU Cancer Center and a Diplomate in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology with the American Board of Professional Psychology. Ric has also won several awards for his scholarship, teaching and service. 

I know Ric appreciates the people of the entire Academic Affairs unit and the dedication and deep talent they bring to their roles every day. He will continue to lead the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Next Steps

Very soon, I’ll share more about our efforts to assess the strengths and opportunities within Academic Affairs across all our campuses. This is a singular moment in KU’s long history, and I’m committed to ensuring we use it to make KU stronger, better.

Sincerely,

Arash

Arash Mafi, Ph.D.

Chief Academic Officer / Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor

Professor of Physics & Astronomy