Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

It is my pleasure to announce that I have named Dr. Javier Reyes as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs effective August 16, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Dr. Reyes has served in his current roles as West Virginia University’s Milan Puskar Dean of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics since 2016 and as vice president for Start-up West Virginia since 2018.

Under his leadership, the College of Business was named by former Cisco Systems CEO and alumnus John Chambers and focused on the growth of experiential learning, with an emphasis on synergies with engineering and the health sciences. Dr. Reyes built impactful corporate partnerships to strengthen student placement and serve West Virginia’s land-grant mission. Furthermore, he spearheaded the transformation of the college into a pillar of inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation for the university and the state, working closely with state partners and private industry to grow West Virginia’s start-up network.

During his tenure, the total enrollment of the Chambers College of Business grew by 20 percent and new online degree programs were launched in Healthcare MBA, MS Economics and MS Cybersecurity. He also launched the Building Beyond fundraising campaign to construct a futuristic new home for the college, which will open in 2022.

Prior to moving to West Virginia, Dr. Reyes served as the vice provost for distance education at the University of Arkansas and as the associate dean for undergraduate studies and executive education at that Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business. He joined the economics faculty of the University of Arkansas in 2003, and he has been an invited lecturer or visiting scholar at several institutions internationally, including the Clinton School of Public Service and the International Monetary Fund. He also has served as an academic scholar in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, and as a research analyst for the investment firm Value Casa de Bolsa, headquartered in Mexico.

He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and his doctorate in economics from Texas A&M University.

Javier will succeed Provost Susan Poser, who is becoming the next President of Hofstra University, and Karen Colley, dean of the Graduate College, who is serving as acting provost.

I want to thank the members of the search committee for their hard work and commitment that led to this successful conclusion of the search.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Reyes to UIC.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Amiridis
Chancellor