NEW PROVOST
AT HARTWICK
Ehmann To Succeed Tannenbaum
As College’s Top Academic Officer
ONEONTA – Dr. William J. Ehmann will be Hartwick College’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs – the college’s top academic officer, President Margaret L. Drugovich announced this evening.
He succeeds Dr. Michael G. Tannenbaum, who is retiring after serving in the role for 10 years.
The appointment, effective July 1, 2019, concludes a four-month national search and brings Ehmann here from Marymount University in Arlington, Va., where he was also provost and vice president. As an academic, Ehmann is extensively published in the fields of biology and geology.
“For 221 years, Hartwick has been a leader in post-secondary education,” Drugovich said in making the announcement. “Our alumni provide the evidence that experience-enhanced liberal arts education is the best preparation for a lifetime of success. Dr. Ehmann values this approach and is ready to guide and support curricular innovation that builds upon this venerable foundation.”
Ehmann joins Hartwick after a lengthy career at private liberal arts and public institutions of higher education across the country. He brings to Hartwick expertise in place-based experiential education, facilitating innovative strategic and academic program growth, shared governance, and obtaining grant funding. He has also led successful accreditation teams with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, served as an external reviewer, and was responsible for communications with the state Education Department.
Previously, Ehmann served two tenures with Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, three as associate provost for programs and planning, and later as interim associate provost. There he grew access and support services for first-generation college students, including through $6.3 million of grants that strengthened student writing and research skills. He also developed new undergraduate programs in the humanities and social sciences, and worked closely with faculty leaders in shared governance.
During his tenure with Marymount, Ehmann established an Enrollment Operations Team that helped raise freshman and graduate enrollments to the highest levels in six years. He also established Rapid Response funds, which help faculty and staff to innovate and prototype ideas for recruitment and retention.
He also has experience Upstate, as SUNY Plattsburgh assistant to the provost and vice president for academic affairs, and as an associate dean at Empire State College in Saratoga Springs.
Professor of Biology Dr. Peter Fauth chaired the 13-person search committee, which was comprised of faculty, staff, and students.
“The provost/vice president of academic affairs position is vital to our institution; it’s at the heart of Hartwick’s liberal arts mission,” Fauth said. “I am confident Dr. Ehmann and the college faculty will work well together to continue offering creative academic opportunities to ensure the success of our students.”
Ehmann earned his bachelor’s degree in earth sciences from the University of Notre Dame. He received a master’s from Brown University in geological sciences, and in 1994 he obtained a Ph.D. in biology-ecology from Utah State University.
He also holds an executive certificate from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in Transformational Non-profit Leadership.
Prior to his career in academia, Ehmann spent four years as a geologist with the U.S. Department of Interior, helping to map America’s strategic minerals at the height of the Cold War, assisting tribal governments, and completing special projects for the U.S. State Department.
He was also a member of the NASA Space Shuttle Program Mission Specialist pool for 20 years.
A native of Kentucky, Ehmann is an avid hiker, fisherperson, and birdwatcher. He is also well traveled, having visited all 50 states, eight Canadian provinces, 14 countries, and lived in Australia for a year.
