Janet Krejci, dean of the Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN), has been named interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Illinois State University, effective July 1. She will serve until the next provost is appointed, with a search beginning this fall.

Krejci replaces Sheri Noren Everts, who has accepted a position as chancellor of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

The provost is the chief academic officer of the University with responsibility for academic leadership and serves as the primary representative for the president in his absence. Krejci joined Illinois State as a dean in August 2009. She earned her Ph.D., along with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“In just a short time, Dean Krejci has made a remarkable contribution to Illinois State through her leadership, teaching, and example,” President Larry Dietz said. “She’s a national leader in nursing education and she’s never left the classroom.”

She’s worked as a clinical nurse specialist and leadership consultant in both acute care and long term care. She’s also been awarded research grants in the areas of leadership, recruitment and retention, work climate, workforce diversity and change in acute care and long-term care.

“I’m honored to have a role in shaping the University’s commitment to supporting our faculty, who take on the responsibility for the academic and personal growth of our 20,000 students,” Krejci said.

The Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow was appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn to the Illinois Center for Nursing Advisory Board and chairs the Illinois Association of Colleges of Nursing. She’s a member of the Illinois Center for Nursing Board and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Government Affairs Committee. She also serves as vice chair of the Advocate BroMenn Governance Council.