Kevin Kregel named executive vice president and provost

Kevin Kregel has been named the University of Iowa’s executive vice president and provost after serving in the role as interim since July 15, 2020. He will begin in the permanent role on Feb. 15.

Kevin Kregel

Kregel succeeds Montserrat Fuentes, who stepped down from the position in July 2020.

Kregel received both a bachelor’s degree in biology and a doctorate in physiology and biophysics from the UI and joined the faculty at Iowa in 1993 after completing a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona. He served as departmental executive officer in the Department of Health and Human Physiology before he was appointed associate provost in September 2014 and executive vice provost and senior associate provost for faculty in July 2019.

“While serving as interim executive vice president and provost, Kevin has demonstrated strong leadership and collaboration that has helped carry the university through the challenging pandemic,” says President Bruce Harreld. “His long career at Iowa has provided him with unmatched knowledge and insight that position the university for continued excellence.”

Kregel has a long record of service at Iowa, sitting on numerous collegiate and university committees, as well as participating in steering committees for two cluster-hire initiatives. He also served as acting associate provost for undergraduate education and dean of University College in 2018.

“I am honored to serve as provost at Iowa, which has been such a meaningful part of my life since I was an undergraduate student,” says Kregel. “I look forward to building upon the relationships I have established during my time as interim and continuing to deliver an excellent educational experience to our students and improving the workplace experience for our faculty.”

Steve McGuire, professor and director of the School of Art and Art History, has served on previous presidential and provost search committees at UI and is familiar with the sought-after traits for those positions. He says the university is acting with tremendous wisdom by naming Kregel to the position permanently.

“At this moment in the life of the university, stability anchored by insightful leadership is more critical than I have seen in my many years at Iowa,” McGuire says. “To have Kevin in place as provost at a time when new challenges continue to arise for our university means Iowa can move forward. He knows the University of Iowa in ways few people ever do.”

Rebekah Kowal, professor and departmental executive officer of the Department of Dance, has worked closely with Kregel on various committees at the UI and within the Big Ten Academic Alliance over the course of several years. Kowal says his knowledge and dependability will carry the university forward in a time of transition.

“He is a quiet, calm, and immensely capable leader,” Kowal says. “He has an incredible knowledge of the institution, but also of this institution in context nationally. He is committed to equity and fairness and wants what is best for the university and its people.”

Kregel’s extramurally funded research program at Iowa has focused on physiological adjustments to exercise, aging, and environmental challenges. He has also been active in leadership positions at the national level and currently serves as vice president for science policy within the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology.

He will receive an annual salary of $439,000. His appointment must be approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.