After six years at the University of Northern Iowa, Provost and Executive Vice President Jim Wohlpart will be leaving in June to become president of Central Washington University. 

“It has been a deep honor to partner with so many faculty, staff and administrators across campus to elevate the great work of teaching, learning, scholarship and service here,” Wohlpart said. He added that working with students at UNI has been one of the best parts of his job. “I’m excited to start this new role and will leave campus with many wonderful memories and lasting relationships.” 

Wohlpart, an English professor who continued teaching while working as an administrator, arrived at UNI in 2015 after 21 years at Florida Gulf Coast University. He previously served as interim UNI president for seven months starting in the summer of 2016. 

UNI President Mark A. Nook said Wohlpart excelled at one of the most difficult positions at any university, overseeing academic and operating budgets with numerous stakeholders. Wohlpart also helped steer UNI planning during the tumultuous past year of the pandemic.

“Jim is an outstanding administrator who inspires those around him and has built a culture of collaboration and trust across campus,” Nook said. “He contributed greatly to the university’s vision in recent years and has made UNI a better place. We will be continuing this work.” 

During his time at UNI, Wohlpart created a Leadership Academy to help develop leaders-in-place across campus, helped with preparations for the upcoming Higher Learning Commission Accreditation, revamped the budgeting process to improve transparency and backed efforts to support and retain traditionally underrepresented students. 

UNI will launch the search for the next provost this spring to bring a highly-qualified individual to the position. The search process is beginning with discussions with the campus community.