Provost Made SF State 'a greater University'
Provost John Gemello, who will retire at the end of theacademic year, has supported the faculty's pursuit of
both teaching and scholarship. "To be good at
teaching requires being intellectually alive and active
in the creation of knowledge," he says. Photo courtesy
of Gino De Grandis
John Gemello, provost and vice president for academic affairs, announced at
the fall faculty meeting that he will retire at the end of the 2008 -- 09 academic
year. The sustained, standing ovation that followed was a testament to the
respect Gemello has earned from faculty during his long and distinguished career
at the University.
Gemello joined SF State in 1975 as a lecturer in economics,
achieved full professor status in 1986, and was appointed to his current position
after a national search in 2003. "John has one of the best minds and hearts
of anyone with whom I have worked," says President Robert A. Corrigan. "I am
deeply grateful for the time we have had, and all that he has done to help
make SF State a greater university."
During his tenure, Gemello focused on
three priorities: implementing the University's strategic plan, expanding and
diversifying the tenure-track faculty and strengthening the graduate program.
He was instrumental in moving key programs of the College of Business to the
Downtown Campus, taking advantage of its proximity to the San Francisco business
community. Under his leadership, SF State launched its first freestanding doctorate
program in education and further developed a climate for community-based research
that has yielded benefits for the Bay Area and the State of California.
Academic
Senate Chair Shawn Whalen, a communication studies lecturer, points out that
Gemello has served as chief academic officer during an incredibly challenging
period in the California economy. "It is hard to imagine that a provost who
faced declining resources in almost every year of his tenure could be leaving
so highly regarded," Whalen says. "His ability to anticipate University needs
and plan for resource shortfalls has been an essential element to keeping San
Francisco State's academic programs vibrant."
He and other faculty have valued
Gemello's open and direct communication style, from his daily interactions
with his colleagues on campus to his gracious hosting of a faculty party in
his home each fall (senate chairs, we're told, are given the honor of throwing
the first bocce ball on Gemello's home court).
Professor of English Jim Kohn,
past academic senate chair, says Gemello has had a great influence in the California
State University (CSU) system as well, pointing to his participation in the
drafting of Access to Excellence, a new guide for the Board of Trustees in
making policy decisions during the next decade. "[Gemello] was successful in
getting language added that will give individual campuses some decision-making
ability, instead of the older system of highly centralized decision-making
in the CSU."
As a national search for the next provost is under way, Whalen
says that Gemello "leaves the University energized and optimistic about the
future."
Back to Campus Beat
Share this story:
