Reappointment of John McGreevy as Charles and Jill Fischer Provost

The below email was sent to all faculty and academic staff members on May 5, 2026.

Dear Colleagues,

As we near the end of the academic year and prepare to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and scholars at Commencement, I hope you share the sense of accomplishment and joy I feel. Amid the challenges of these turbulent times, one has only to look across the University and see your extraordinary research, teaching, scholarship, and service to experience a deep and abiding sense of hope. Thank you for your many invaluable contributions to our common work.

As you may know, the Academic Articles of the University call for a review of the Provost’s performance every five years, with the appointment of a review committee consisting of five faculty members and a student elected by the Academic Council, and up to three faculty members and a student appointed by the President. Since Provost John McGreevy is in his fourth year of his initial five-year term, I initiated the formation of a review committee in January.

I wish to offer my sincere thanks to those who served on the Review Committee, chaired by Eric Sims, William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Professor of Economics and Chair of the Department of Economics. Over the course of the past four months, the Committee has worked tirelessly to conduct extensive interviews and listening sessions across the University, as well as administer an anonymous survey of faculty, post-docs, and academic staff, to invite feedback about John’s performance to date and, where appropriate, identify areas for improvement.

In their final report, the Review Committee highlighted John’s many accomplishments as Provost, praising him for articulating a bold vision for Notre Dame as the University’s chief academic officer, and for being a strategic thinker and accomplished scholar, deeply committed to the University’s Catholic mission and to future improvement. They also identified areas of continued focus for John and the University. I am grateful to all those who shared their insights with the Committee.

Having completed their work in mid-April, the Review Committee unanimously recommended to me that John be reappointed for another five-year term as Provost. In accord with the process outlined in the Academic Articles, I in turn offered my highly enthusiastic recommendation for John’s reappointment to the University’s Board of Trustees. I am very pleased to report that at the spring Board meeting held on campus last week, the Trustees unanimously re-elected John to a second five-year term as the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost, beginning July 1, 2027. The Board of Fellows also unanimously endorsed John’s reappointment.

I am truly delighted that John has agreed to serve a second five-year term as Provost. John is an invaluable and deeply trusted partner to me as we seek to achieve our aspirations as the premier Catholic research university in the world. I ask you to join me in congratulating and thanking John for his exceptional leadership, his tireless efforts on behalf of the University, and his extraordinary dedication to our distinctive mission.

Thank you for all you do in service of the University. Know that you and your loved ones are always in my prayers.

Sincerely Yours in Notre Dame,

Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
President