Dr. Kathryn Northcut, professor of English and technical communication, has been appointed interim vice provost of academic support, effective Saturday, Feb. 15. Dr. Jeff Cawlfield, who has served in the vice provost’s role since June 2013, will return to his home department of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering, where he is a professor of geological engineering.

Northcut joined the S&T faculty in 2004 and was instrumental in building the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in technical communication. She received a 2017 Faculty Excellence Award for sustained excellence in research, service and teaching, and in 2018 was named Missouri S&T’s Woman of the Year. She is the co-editor of a book about science communication titled Scientific Communication: Practices, Theories and Pedagogies, which was published in 2019.

Cawlfield joined the S&T faculty in 1987 and, prior to becoming vice provost of academic affairs, held many administrative appointments, including head of geological engineering, chair of geological and petroleum engineering, associate dean of the former School of Mines and Metallurgy, and director of the Freshman Engineering Program. He also served as S&T’s faculty athletic representative to NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

“I very much appreciate Dr. Cawlfield’s service as vice provost of academic affairs for the past six-plus years and for managing significant change during that time,” says Dr. Stephen Roberts, interim provost and executive vice chancellor of academic affairs. “I also welcome Dr. Northcut and look forward to working closely with her in this new role as we focus on student retention and continue to build on a strong foundation of academic excellence for our student body.”