Shippensburg University Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Darrell Newton has resigned from his position, effective immediately.
An internal memo was sent by SU President Charles Patterson to faculty and staff on April 8 saying the following:
“We are grateful for Dr. Newton’s leadership and passion, and we wish him the very best in future endeavors. Please join me in thanking Dr. Newton for his service and dedication to Shippensburg University."
"To ensure we have continuity in leadership and the necessary momentum to carry us forward, I have asked Dr. Nicole Hill to again serve as our Interim Provost. Recently appointed as Vice Provost in February, Dr. Hill will continue to provide executive leadership that enhances the many initiatives of Academic Affairs while significantly contributing to the long-term success and sustainability of Shippensburg University.”
Hill previously served as Interim Provost from 2022 until 2024 after the retirement of Tom Ormond. Patterson announced Newton’s appointment as Provost on April 26, 2024, and he assumed the position on July 1 of that year. With Newton’s resignation, he will have served as SU’s Provost for just over nine months. According to a 2018 report in HigherEdDive, the average term served by a Provost is about three years.
On April 9, the day after Newton’s resignation, Patterson sent a campus-wide email announcing PASSHE’s next chancellor. However, his administration has no plans to send students a similar email with information about how they may be impacted by Newton’s departure.
“No further correspondence is planned,” SU Director of Communications and Marketing Megan Silverstrim said.
With Newton’s departure comes the need for a new search process to begin, the last of which took approximately two years. Silverstrim said it is too early to know if the upcoming search will take as long.
“A timeline will be established in the near future but has not yet been set,” Silverstrim said.
Newton came to SU after serving for over 30 years in the field of higher education and holding roles such as Associate Dean and Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
In an interview with The Slate last August, Newton stressed the importance of academic administrators connecting with students and "walking the walk."
As of 4 p.m. on April 14, neither Newton nor the university have publicly commented on his resignation.
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