Associate Provost Paul Blake will serve as the interim provost at Ferris State University.
Blake’s appointment comes after current Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Fritz Erickson was selected as the new president of Northern Michigan University last
week. Blake’s interim provost position was announced by Ferris President David Eisler
on Monday, April 28.
During the next two months, Blake will work with Erickson to ensure a smooth transition, between provosts, before he assumes the job’s full responsibilities on July 1.
“Since the announcement of Fritz Erickson’s selection as president of Northern Michigan
University, I have been visiting with people and seeking their advice on whom should
serve as interim provost,” Eisler said. “In these conversations, there was one name
that was frequently recommended to me, our current associate provost, Paul Blake. It
is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Blake has accepted my invitation to serve as interim
provost of Academic Affairs.”
Blake has been associate provost for Academic Affairs since 2012. He previously served
as associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services and as a professor
of English. Since his arrival at Ferris in 1989, Blake has served as an assistant
professor, associate professor, program coordinator of English Education, professor,
interim associate dean and associate dean. He also is involved with a number of university
committees and task forces, including the University Assessment Committee, University
Student Life Committee, Curriculum Committee, Strategic Planning Task Force and more.
Blake has also worked to significantly improve communication and collaboration between
Ferris’ Big Rapids campus and its statewide locations.
Blake earned his Ph.D. in English from Michigan State University. He also holds a
Bachelor of Arts in English from MSU and a master’s degree in English from Ball State
University. He is a graduate of the Management Development Program at Harvard University
Graduate School of Education.
“With his extraordinarily broad range of experience at Ferris, Dr. Blake has a remarkable first-hand grasp of our university’s strengths as well as an understanding of the challenges facing faculty, staff, and students,” Eisler said.