We recently sat down with Provost and Senior Vice President Greg White whose professional affiliation with NDNU spans three decades and counting!  Since joining the university in 1993 as a Math professor, Greg has served in a number of increasingly responsible capacities including Chair, Department of Math and Computer Science; Director of Institutional Research; Assistant Provost; Associate Provost; Vice President for Academic Affairs; Chief Financial Officer; his current role, Provost and Sr. VP; and about half a dozen Interim and Acting positions as well!

“I think I hold the record for the number of offices anyone has had on campus – 12 locations, including six in Ralston Hall!” says Greg.

Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Rochester (U of R) and earned his master’s and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Greg is actively involved with the Redwood Symphony, where he is well known for his musical prowess on the French horn and extensive leadership experience.

Tell us about your background. Was it always your intention to go into higher education?

I grew up in Berkeley during the Free Speech movement in the sixties, one of four children who all enjoyed music and travelling with our parents. The University of Rochester was on my radar because of my early interest in music, math and physics. When my high school girlfriend was accepted at U of R, that clinched the deal for me. I had a wonderful experience there and enjoyed playing in the orchestra, playing on the men’s volleyball team, and serving in several student leadership positions.

I started out as a physics major but took so many classes in math that I ended up majoring in that as well.

Becoming a math professor was always a possibility, although I didn’t know how much I loved teaching until I started the doctoral program at UCLA. I had my first experience as an instructor when I served as a teaching assistant (TA) for the Department of Mathematics and helped train other TAs. That led to faculty positions in math at Occidental College, University of California at Berkeley, St. Mary’s College, and then here at NDNU.

Can you describe your journey from math professor to provost?

That’s a great question. I guess it’s a combination of tenure, skill and lots of luck! After seven years of serving as Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, I was tapped to be the Director of Institutional Research in 2000. This entailed providing internal and external reports on all facets of the university and coordinating data systems and personnel to ensure data integrity. I found this first of many subsequent administrative positions to be very much aligned with my writing skills, computer and math background, and knowledge of the university. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

You recently completed the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation report. Can you discuss the importance of this accomplishment and some of the highlights of this comprehensive body of work?

This is the big one, one that incorporates input and analysis from every single department of the university. The WASC report provides the opportunity to review the last 10 years and give a succinct history of where we have been, why choices were made, and how we are rebuilding to meet WASC standards. This is especially necessary after shrinking our footprint and eliminating a number of departments and programs. Through this report, it was essential to tell WASC that we are reestablishing mechanisms and structures, as well as processes and policies. And, of course, they want to know the path forward to becoming financially sustainable and how well we are meeting the needs of our students.

We look forward to receiving the visiting team’s initial comments and further requests for documentation later this month and sharing report highlights with the NDNU community in the coming months.

What’s a typical day in the life of Provost and Senior Vice President Greg White?

There really is no typical day. With that being said, I am in meetings at least two hours every day – sometimes six – and have a backlog of 100 emails waiting for me. One moment I am working on the WASC accreditation report or in the middle of editing a huge grant proposal and the next second, I am reconciling monthly expense reports.

What are some of the programs and initiatives that you are especially excited about?

We are creating online versions of current educational program offerings in all three Schools. For example, the degree completion programs in psychology and business administration are both online (asynchronous), the School of Education is working toward getting all courses online by the summer, and Clinical Psychology offers students maximum flexibility by offering courses in several modalities – in-person, synchronous online, or asynchronous online.

Why is this important? Working students really like the flexibility that we are offering them – it makes it so much easier to access and complete their education, which ultimately leads to furthering their careers, not to mention the community benefit in having more teachers, mental health professionals, and business leaders in the corporate and nonprofit sectors!

What do you do when you are not busy doing work for NDNU?

Forever the math teacher, I am the Chair of the California Mathematics Advisory Board. The Math Project provides high quality research-based professional development for K-12 teachers throughout the State. It’s very fulfilling work.

Music is still a big part of my life. As mentioned, I am active in the Redwood Symphony where I both play and serve on the Board of Directors. When my children were younger, I coached soccer, baseball, and volleyball, and I am no slouch when it comes to table tennis.  I also play golf once or twice each month since my son graduated and the beginning of the pandemic. It’s a nice tradition because I used to do the same with my dad.

What parting words do you have for our alumni?

I would like to reassure alumni that our mission is the same – we are educating people for life and honoring the commitment and values of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur – but just doing it a different way.