The provost is the chief academic officer of Washington University in St. Louis, responsible for teaching, learning, scholarship, and research across the Danforth Campus.
The provost oversees WashU’s Danforth schools as well as a broad range of academic and administrative units. The office is responsible for academic programs, policies, and initiatives in support of excellence in teaching and mentoring, scholarship and research, and student academic and experiential learning.
Succession of the Provost
- George E. Pake, 1962–69
- Merle Kling, 1976–83
- Ralph E. Morrow, 1983–86; 1988
- W. Maxwell Cowan, 1986–87
- Edward S. Macias, 1988–95, 2009–13
- Holden Thorp, 2013–19
- Marion G. Crain, 2019–20 (Interim)
- Beverly R. Wendland, 2020–25
- Mark D. West, 2025-
Executive Vice Chancellors in Lieu of Provost
- Carl A. Dauten, 1969–76
- Edward S. Macias, 1995–2008
Sources: Washington University Archives and Morrow, Ralph, Washington University in St. Louis: A History. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society Press, 1996.