Courtesy of UCR Newsroom

Following the resignation of UC Riverside Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Paul D’Anieri, Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox has chosen Dr. Cynthia K. Larive to fill the position of interim vice provost. Due to issues concerning poor planning for campus growth and a lack of transparency which led to D’Anieri’s resignation, Larive has said that she vows to improve communication between the administration and the UC Riverside community in the coming future.

Formerly serving as interim dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Larive has worked at UCR since 2005. She began her career at UCR as a professor of chemistry and until recently she has been serving as vice provost for undergraduate education. Dr. Richard Cardullo, professor of biology, will replace her as vice provost for undergraduate education.

Larive was one of the many candidates nominated for interim provost by the faculty and has been spoken of favorably by her peers. In a statement, Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox said, “That she was nominated enthusiastically by so many of her peers speaks volumes about the impact she’s had on our research, teaching, and service missions.”

Although Larive did not hold a position in the administration, she was in attendance at the town hall meeting in November, where the academic senate discussed their concerns with the administration. According to the Press-Enterprise, Larive said, “What I took away from that was (trouble with) issues around communication and implementation.”

While the school searches for a permanent vice provost, Larive says she plans on improving relations between the faculty and the administrators. She hopes her actions will put an end to the discord and help “get UCR moving with the momentum that we desire.”

Former Provost Paul D’Anieri stepped down after the academic senate announced that they were going to begin proceedings to discuss a vote of no-confidence in D’Anieri in December of 2016. The senate primarily cited poor communication and the manner in which he executed a cluster hiring process.

D’Anieri will stay on as a special advisor to the interim provost until June 30, when he will continue to serve solely in his role as professor of political science for both the political science department and the School of Public Policy. In the meantime, Wilcox will work alongside the academic senate to find a permanent provost and executive vice chancellor.