The Provost is the Chief Academic Officer for the university, and is responsible for setting goals, priorities, and directions for all aspects of the university’s academic mission, including instruction, research, and community outreach.  The Provost works in liaison with the Vice Presidents, with the Council of Academic Deans,
and with faculty, staff and student leadership to bring rigor and quality to the instruction provided through all methods of delivery at all four of WKU’s campuses, ensuring that the academic credentials awarded by WKU meet the highest possible standards and that the faculty brings first-rate scholarship into the classrooms and laboratories of WKU.

Since July 1, 2010, Dr. Gordon Emslie has served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at WKU.  Dr. Emslie came to WKU from Oklahoma State University, where he was Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College, and Regents Professor of Physics.  Prior to that, he served as
a faculty member at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he was Chair
of the Department of Physics and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Dr. Emslie attended the University of Glasgow, Scotland, where he received his B.Sc. in Physics and Astronomy, his Ph.D. in Astrophysics, and a D.Sc. in
Science.  Dr. Emslie has also earned master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Atmospheric Science, and Materials Science, and a BA in French, all from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  His research interests are in high-energy
solar astrophysics, and he is a co-investigator on the NASA Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) mission.  He is also a licensed Professional Engineer.