Joan Gabel, executive vice president and provost, is preparing to round out her final semester at USC and transition to serving as president at the University of Minnesota.
“I don’t know that it’s fully sunk in that I’m leaving, which I know sounds odd given the fact that I very clearly am,” Gabel said.
The University of Minnesota announced Gabel as the finalist for the position in early December, two months after USC President Harris Pastides announced that he would be leaving summer 2019.
A university statement reads, “In the coming months, we will have numerous opportunities to express our appreciation to Provost Gabel, who will continue her work at UofSC until the end of the academic year and is committed to ensuring a smooth transition in the academic leadership of our university."
Gabel came to the University of South Carolina four years ago after serving as the dean of the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri. With a background in law, she researched business ethics as part of the business school faculty before becoming the dean.
“It wasn’t what I'd originally thought I was going to do,” Gabel said.
After working at the University of Missouri for five years, Gabel questioned what her next step was in her career. That was when she discovered USC.
“At that point you either make a new list or you start to think maybe it’s time to do something else,” Gabel said. “In making the decision about whether we wanted to develop a next set of goals or whether it was time for me to hand that to the next leader, I put a few feelers out and received a few feelers and one of them was here.”
Gabel said she met Pastides after applying for the provost position and immediately knew she wanted to work for him. Since she was first hired, she has developed a close relationship with the president.
“I have really learned from him, both because he’s taken the time to one-on-one teach me but also just by proximity and observation,” Gabel said. “He’s been fantastic.”
Though the job of the provost means working with budgets, faculty and administrators, Gabel’s favorite part of her job is the relationships she builds with students. When she leaves USC, Gabel hopes faculty and students have a renewed sense of purpose.
“I hope that our faculty feel a sense of opportunity and support," Gabel said. "I hope our students feel that their voice is respected, that we have a improved sense of belonging on this campus, that we are positive contributors to our community and that we have momentum.”
Gabel makes an effort to meet with members of Student Government frequently to ensure the student voice is heard and that the administrative decisions will positively impact students.
“Provost Gable has been an impactful leader at our university,” Student Body President Taylor Wright wrote in a text message. “It’s been amazing to get to work with her and get to know her these past couple years. I’m sad to see her go but I’m excited to keep up with her success in Minnesota.”
While she is sad to leave, Gabel is excited about the new and familiar challenges her new position will bring.
“I think that this is an amazing university,” Gabel said. “My son is a student here, proudly sent him to school here. And that whoever fills the next chapter of leadership here is extremely lucky and has one of the best places to work and create and communicate and live.”