Executive Vice President and Provost

Dr. Erickson assumed responsibilities as Executive Vice President and Provost of The Pennsylvania State University on July 1, 1999. As Provost, he is the chief academic officer of the University, responsible for the academic administration of the University's resident instruction, research, and continuing education, and for the general welfare of the faculty and students. In his role as Executive Vice President, he serves as the chief executive officer in the President's absence, and is centrally involved in most operations of the University.

Dr. Erickson holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Minnesota, and was awarded a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Washington in 1973. He began his academic career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining the faculty at Penn State in 1977. He was promoted to the rank of professor in both geography and business administration in 1984. He was named Dean of the Graduate School in July 1995, and in March 1997 he assumed the additional responsibilities of Vice President for Research.

Among his other administrative assignments at Penn State, Dr. Erickson served as Head of the Department of Geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and as Director of the Center for Regional Business Analysis and Associate Director of the Division of Research in the Smeal College of Business.

Dr. Erickson has researched and published widely on topics related to geography and economics, including urban and regional economic analysis, international trade, and economic development policies. His research has been noted in many popular publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The New Republic. He has taught courses in urban geography and metropolitan analysis at the undergraduate and graduate levels, dealing with labor markets, housing markets, transportation, and the location of public facilities. Dr. Erickson has been a consultant to various federal and state government agencies, and to business and industry.

He has served in leadership roles in professional organizations for geography and business administration, and is a member or former member of the editorial boards of numerous scholarly journals. He was a Fulbright Research Scholar in the United Kingdom and a Simon Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, and he also served as a National Science Foundation/American Statistical Association Research Fellow at the U.S. Bureau of the Census studying the foreign trade relationships of U.S. manufacturers.

In other University service, Dr. Erickson chairs the meetings of the Academic Leadership Council and the Facilities Resources Committee, and he serves on President's Council and as an ex officio member of the University Faculty Senate and Senate Council. He has been the leader of many task forces in recent years, including the Information Sciences and Technology Strategic Planning Group, the Task Force on Tuition, and the on-going University Cost Savings Task Force, which is charged with recommending cost savings and non-tuition income enhancements for the University. Dr. Erickson is currently involved in directing a major reorganization of Penn State's multi-campus structure.

As chief academic officer, Provost Erickson is firmly committed to the goals of enhancing academic excellence at Penn State through greater support of high-quality teaching, research, and service; enhancing the educational experiences of Penn State students; building a more diverse and caring University community; and serving the people of the Commonwealth and beyond. Dr. Erickson and all units organized under the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost value your ideas and suggestions on ways to achieve our educational goals at Penn State.