Of the three finalist for the LSSU Provost position, the final one to be presented to the students (for the usual hour of breakfast and conversation with any takers, as opposed to at formal committee meetings) was Raj Chowuhry. Originally from India, Raj moved with his family to the US for schooling, taking his first stop at Notre Dame, and eventually receiving his PhD from Western University in Virginia, in the areas of Engineering Technology and Robotics. He moved from there directly into teaching, and has been an administrator in the university system for more than 25 years, bringing all that experience to the table in his bid for this particular university’s most coveted (remaining) position (Or at least so the student body may assume, it is entirely possible the most desirable position lies within the realm of the janitorial arts).

As far as past locations, Raj spent 5 years each working at Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, North Carolina, Southern Texas, and Kent State (he explained, when asked by one of the students at the breakfast, that the 5 year term was actually just a coincidence, and that he does not plan to depart from this school after another five years, should he be accepted for the position). He believes in a global approach, having done a lot of traveling worldwide, and having a strong belief in the global economy, and the importance of its effects on all sorts of professions. He also advocates a strong belief in onesself for success, building up a sense of self in the students and allowing them to carry that away from the school is one of his stated goals.

As far as his reasons for applying for the position, he stated simply: “if you were me, wouldn’t you apply here?” Contrary to the general broad-spectrum approach most of the administration has been focusing on of late, Raj believes strongly in focusing on specific programs in each department, developing a specialty for the school to rest on – generate a real specific reason for someone to come here as opposed to going somewhere else for a program, he said. “I’m not looking as much for a job as an opportunity to make a difference.”, he said in closing.

In response to another student question about his thoughts on the icy sidewalks, he replied simply: “Give me a shovel – I’ll get rid of it.”

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