Robert Sheehan of Toledo, Ohio, has been named the new provost at Coastal Carolina University, effective the first week of July.

Sheehan has been interim provost, senior vice provost for academic affairs and vice provost for strategic planning and student assessment at the University of Toledo. He served on the Ohio Board of Regents from 1998 to 2002, most recently as associate vice chancellor for performance reporting and analysis.

"We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Sheehan's breadth of experience and expertise to serve in this vital position," said Coastal President David A. DeCenzo. "He understands Coastal's bold academic mission and will lead the institution to new achievements in student scholarship, faculty research and community service."

During four years at Cleveland State University, he was interim associate provost for strategic planning and assessment and director of institutional research. He earned a Ph.D. in education at Georgia State University and a bachelor's degree in early childhood education in psychology at the University of Massachusetts.

The provost is administratively responsible for planning, organizing, budgeting, coordinating, directing and evaluating the instructional, research and public service activities of the university. All four of the academic colleges - the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, the Spadoni College of Education and the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration - report to the provost.

Other departments that report to the provost are: Kimbel Library; Administration and Academic Student Services; Grants, Contract Administration and Research Planning; Graduate Studies; Information Technology Services; and Institutional Research and Assessment.