Tamera Jahnke, who started at Missouri State in the mid-1980s, will serve as the university’s interim provost beginning Dec. 21. She will remain in this role until a permanent replacement begins.
Jahnke has been dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences since 2006.
She steps into the role of provost on an interim basis after John Jaskinski – who planned to retire on June 30 – opted to leave campus on December 20. He will then use the accrued leave until his new retirement date of February 1.
Tamera Jahnke, dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences at Missouri State University, spoke Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, at a groundbreaking for the expansion into Roy Blunt Hall, formerly known as Temple Hall.
“I am deeply honored to accept the role of interim provost and committed to serving Missouri State University with humility, integrity and dedication,” Jahnke said in a news release.
MSU President Richard “Biff” Williams referred to Jasinski, provost since mid-2022, and Jahnke when he announced the move Wednesday.
“Dr. Jasinski has made lasting contributions to Missouri State University during his tenure as provost, especially in unifying our academic affairs initiatives,” Williams said in a statement.
“While we will miss his leadership, we are fortunate to have Dr. Tamera Jahnke fulfills this crucial role. Her service to our university and extensive leadership experience make her exceptionally qualified to guide our academic affairs forward during this transition period.”
The search for a permanent replacement continues. More than sixty people applied for the job.
A search committee led by Brad Bodenhausen and Marjorie Shavers is expected to select semifinalists this month and conduct the first round of interviews in January. The finalists will be on campus in February.
More: John Jasinski is retiring as Missouri provost months earlier than expected
As an organic chemist, Jahnke’s research interests have been in lipid peroxidation products, the synthesis of antiviral drugs and spectroscopic analysis of organic molecules. She holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from the University of Iowa.
She had been a member of the chemistry faculty since 1986, serving as chemistry department head for nine years and acting associate provost for one year.
Jorge Rebaza-Vasquez
Jorge Rebaza-Vasquez will serve as interim dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, while Jahnke serves as interim provost.
He has been an associate professor since 2021. In 2022 he was hired as an assistant professor of mathematics.
Rebaza-Vasquez teaches numerical analysis and applied mathematics at Missouri State. Recent research interests range from showing how the brain processes language to investigating a way to predict the spread of waterborne diseases.
He holds a master’s degree from the University of Kaiserslauterm in Germany and a doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Tamera Jahnke named interim Missouri provost amid search
