As the University of Lynchburg welcomes a record-breaking spring enrollment of 151 new students to campus this semester, the faculty, staff, and leadership also prepare to welcome Dr. John Day, a retired English professor and provost emeritus at John Carroll University, as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Effective Feb. 1, Day will step in for Dr. Allison Jablonski, who is taking a one-year leave of absence.
“I am so pleased to welcome John Day to the University of Lynchburg,” President Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar said. “His breadth of experience in academic affairs — and his love of teaching — will serve our campus well over the next 12 months.”
Day said he’s looking forward to joining the University.
“I have known of Lynchburg College — now University of Lynchburg — for years,” he said. “My wife lived in Lynchburg, and my brother- and sister-in-law are both graduates. From afar, I have admired the development of the University of Lynchburg, and now I am pleased to join the University community and to serve with President Morrison-Shetlar.”
Day spent nearly a decade at John Carroll University, serving as provost from 2011 to 2014. He also was academic vice president from 2008 to 2011 and a professor of English from 2008 to 2016.
In his role as chief academic officer, he was responsible for the faculty, the curriculum, and all academic programs. He supervised the assistant provost for diversity, the assistant provost for institutional effectiveness — including assessment and planning — and the executive director of academic finance.
From 2002 to 2008, Day served as vice president of academic affairs and dean of the college at Roanoke College. Prior to his tenure there, he held several administrative roles at St. Olaf College, including assistant vice president for academic affairs and associate dean for interdisciplinary and general studies.
Before and throughout his time as an administrator, he always taught English, focusing on British writers, Shakespeare, and Irish short stories.
Day received his doctoral and master’s degrees from Harvard University and his undergraduate degree from College of the Holy Cross.
