After more than 30 years of dedicated service in various roles at Willamette University, Provost Carol Long has announced her retirement, marking the end of an era and leaving behind a legacy of commitment and achievement.
As the chief academic officer, the provost helps coordinate collaboration among the schools of WU and between students and academic affairs. Deans, staff of the provost office, the library, museum, registrar, office of international education and the vice president of student affairs all report to the chief academic officer. “I am never bored!” Long said.
Long started her journey at Willamette in 1972 as an English professor for over 30 years, followed by serving as department chair, then associate dean, then dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) for seven years. In 2009, Long left her role as CAS dean at Willamette and served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York College at Geneseo for five years, followed by being president for her last two years. Long was planning to retire from her role there in 2016 until she got a call from President Steve Thorsett asking if she would consider coming back to Willamette.
At that point in time, Willamette had never had a provost office, but Long recalled conversations with the intent of integrating the university more fully before her departure to New York in 2009. The conversations later led to the decision of hiring a provost. The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2016 was initially supposed to step into that role, but her sudden decision to retire was the reason President Thorsett reached out to Long, as she recalled. “He actually really invited me for a year or two for the position to get set up,” Long said. “I don’t think he expected me to stay for nine years!”
As Long is turning 80 years old in July 2025, she decided it was time to retire. Long plans on spending the next months building the best platform onto which her successor can arrive. Her goal is to be sure all operations are left structured in a way that they can continue while allowing the next provost to make changes and evolve things as they see fit.
In addition to making sure all of her projects are structurally sound and can continue without her, Long also wants to make sure that her staff are secure in their positions and can have an easy transition after her departure.
“I like stability, and I like change, too, but I want to do it at a pace that doesn’t tear things apart,” said Long. “Willamette has been very good to me through all the years of my career, so I want to be sure that I leave it in good shape.”
Since the president supervises the provost, President Thorsett has the final decision on candidate hiring. He chaired the search while the hiring committee advised him, according to Jennifer Cole, dean of Pacific Northwest College of Art and member of the hiring committee. While Long was not on the hiring committee, she did get to meet the finalists. The new provost and senior vice president, Dr. Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, has been announced and is set to start on July 1, 2025.
As for Long's post-retirement plans, she signed up for her first 5K run held on Earth Day by Run For The Trees. She is also looking forward to spending time with her daughters, grandkids and “grand dogs.” While Long is excited for her upcoming plans, she knows she will continue to watch how higher education evolves and grows over the next 10 years.
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