Meet the Interim Provost
Robert Easter
Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Contact Information
217 Swanlund Administration Building
601 East John Street
Champaign, Illinois 61820
Phone: (217) 244-4545
Fax: (217) 244-5639
E-mail: provost@illinois.edu
Assistant:
Debbie Kemphues, (217) 244-4545
What is a Provost?
The Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is the chief academic and budget officer for the campus. The Provost oversees academic and budgetary policy and priorities, ensures the quality of the faculty and student body, and maintains educational excellence. All of the deans and directors of academic units report to the Provost.
About the Interim Provost
Robert A. Easter is Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Professor of Animal Sciences and Nutritional Sciences. Prior to his appointment as Interim Provost, Dr. Easter served as Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) from 2002-2009. He has served as Head of the Department of Animal Sciences from 1996 to 2001, and has been on the Animal Sciences faculty since 1976.
In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Easter to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), and in 2007 he was appointed as chair of BIFAD. Dr. Easter is also a member of the American Society of Animal Science, the British Society of Animal Science, The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology and the Illinois Council for Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR). His teaching has been recognized by the Midwest Section of the American Society of Animal Science and at the departmental and college levels. In 1992 Dr. Easter received the American Feed Industry Association Award in Non-ruminant Nutrition Research from the American Society of Animal Science. In 1994 the University of Illinois College of Agriculture awarded Easter with the prestigious Paul A. Funk Award for contributions to Illinois agriculture.
Dr. Easter has spoken to audiences in the U.S. and 27 foreign countries on swine nutrition. He co-authored a book on swine production and has written more than 90 peer-reviewed articles, 11 book chapters, four monographs and numerous papers for conferences and industry publications.
Along with his graduate students, he has investigated the amino acid needs of the lactating sow, the impact of post-weaning nutrition on growth composition to market and the use of various agents to alter lean growth in pigs. Nineteen students earned their doctoral degrees under his direction.
In his present role, Interim Provost Easter is the chief academic and budgetary officer for the campus. He oversees all academic and financial programs, policies and priorities that that have been designed to ensure a memorable educational experience for students and sustain an environment that encourages and supports academic excellence. All of the deans and directors of academic units report to the Provost. Since its founding in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been committed to excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement. Over 29,000 undergraduate students are enrolled in ten undergraduate divisions, which together offer some 4,000 courses in more than 150 fields of study. Graduate students are enrolled in 15 divisions that collectively with the other divisions offer more than 50 fields of studies. The campus has a budget of $1.5B with over $400M in research expenditures. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is embarking on a $1.5B capital campaign which is expected to be completed by 2011.