MacKinnon shares his experiences and goals as provost

Augusta University Provost Neil MacKinnon aims to make a difference and has many plans for the university. (photo by Madison Keel)

By Micah Webb | Staff writer

Neil MacKinnon, provost of Augusta University, recently discussed what his goals and future plans are for the university.

Since becoming provost at AU two years ago, MacKinnon has had an active role in becoming a prominent person in campus life. He makes sure that he is involved in student life as well as faculty and staff, while also ensuring that he represents all discipline and backgrounds.

“What I really like about being a provost is, I get to get involved in everything and do a lot of things that cut across different colleges, and for me that’s a lot of fun,” MacKinnon said. “Whether it’s healthcare, communications, or business, the provost gets to oversee it all.”

MacKinnon is passionate in the role he has and knows that many students look up to him. He does his best to try to make a difference and makes it his due diligence to impact others as he goes. As a provost, he knows he has the ability to make that happen.

“Seeing progression in individual students and having that ability to create programs to change lives is really cool,” he said. “As a provost I can have influence and help those things.”

Vanessa Emery, MacKinnon’s former research associate, helped him establish his research program that focused on healthcare services and more. Since working closely with him, she described MacKinnon as “extremely positive and knowledgeable” and said there are many good qualities about him in regards to his character.

“He’s a very unique person and always looks at things from the big picture,” she said. “It’s amazing how he gives so much of his time to all people of the university.”

There are many ways that MacKinnon ensures he can impact students’ lives. While balancing his work life and personal life, he has a schedule where he plans to walk through the campus or have meetings with students routinely to understand their insights on certain topics. This includes walking through the JSAC every week or having end of the year focus groups with graduating seniors.

Although the provost has a busy schedule, he ensures that he can have that balance to do everything.

“If I’m tired and burned out, that does nothing to help the university,” he said. “For me that work-life harmony is critical.”

Within his busy schedule, MacKinnon also has time to think and work on future plans for the university. Besides students “having fun” and enjoying their time this semester, there are plans to bring in new programs and degrees, while also expanding the role in online learning.

Some new degrees and programs MacKinnon discussed included a master’s degree in speech and language pathology from the College of Allied Health Sciences, as well as a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a bachelor’s degree in biomedical systems engineering.

Contact Micah Webb at mwebb1@augusta.edu.