Washington State University Graduate School Appoints Two Vice Provost Positions

The Washington State University Graduate School has appointed Chemistry Professor Gregory J. Crouch as associate vice provost for graduate academic programs. Management and Entrepreneurship Professor Arvin Sahaym has been named associate vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives with the Graduate School.

Both appointments began with the start of the Spring 2023 semester.

In his new role as associate vice provost for graduate academic programs, Crouch will serve as liaison between the Graduate School and Faculty Senate Graduate Studies Committee and support assessment and data review processes. He will also oversee the transformation of the Graduate Mentor Academy.

In his new role as associate vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives, Arvin Sahaym (who prefers to be referred to by his first name Arvin) will support and expand the Graduate School’s interdisciplinary and professional development initiatives. He will also support the Graduate Mentor Academy and serve as associate director of the Individual Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program.

“Dr. Crouch and Dr. Sahaym were each selected from an outstanding pool of internal candidates following a careful search,” said Tammy D. Barry, vice provost for graduate and professional education. “They both stood out in their competitiveness given their various skill sets.”

Crouch holds a doctorate in organic chemistry from WSU and has been a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry since 1996. He currently serves as interim director of graduate studies and associate chair in the Department of Chemistry.

At the university level, Crouch joined and later chaired the WSU Faculty Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee. He was elected to serve as chair of the Faculty Senate during the 2019-2020 academic year. Crouch also served one year as the faculty representative to the Board of Regents. In 2021, he received the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Leadership.

During his time in the Faculty Senate, Crouch participated in the NWCCU Student Success Academy where he focused on developing tools to analyze student data with a goal of discovering potential equity gaps in course outcomes. He continues to collaborate with Faculty Senate, Institutional Research, and the Business Intelligence Group to refine and expand these tools.

Arvin has been a professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship in WSU’s Carson College of Business since 2020. In addition, he is the Huber Dean’s Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the Carson College of Business (2020 to present).

Arvin earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Washington, building on his prior education in computer engineering and management. He has been a WSU faculty member since 2007.

Considered among the top “strategic entrepreneurship” scholars in the nation, Arvin has played an integral role contributing to WSU’s top 10 rank globally in entrepreneurship research. He has taught graduate seminars, served on numerous dissertation committees both as chair and member, and led WSU’s entrepreneurship skills and knowledge accelerator (WESKA). He also served on the WSU Faculty Senate.

Both Crouch and Arvin will provide further support to students and programs by reviewing requests submitted to the Graduate School’s student services area. They will also contribute to graduate enrollment management efforts and the evaluation and revision of policies and procedures.

“Although each were chosen on their own merits, it is clear that their combined and complementary expertise will raise the profile of graduate education at WSU,” Barry said. “Given their track records, I am confident that Greg and Arvin will be collaborative and creative administrators who will be valued colleagues for the faculty and staff and a resource for all graduate programs and their students.”