![[Thumbnail Edition] Eastern Illinois University baseball's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Pugliese urges players on the team to increase their effort after a slow start to its pregame routine at the team's first intrasquad scrimmage of the season at O'Brien Field on Jan. 31, 2025.](https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/BB_02_O-1-e1741909628540-1200x702.jpg)
![[Thumbnail Edition] Senior tennis player Luisa Renovales Salazar hits the tennis ball with her racket at the Darling Courts at the Eastern Illinois University campus in Charleston, ILL.](https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Tennis_01_O-1-e1741807434552-1200x670.jpg)
![[Thumbnail Edition] Senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Conklin pitching in the Eastern Illinois University baseball team's intrasquad scrimmage at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois on Jan. 31.](https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/TC_01_O-e1741567955534-1200x669.jpg)
![[Thumbnail Edition] Senior, forward Macy McGlone finds an open teammate to pass the ball too during the game against the Tennessee State Tigers 69-49, in Groniger Arena on the Eastern Illinois University campus, Charleston Ill.](https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/WBB_02_O-1-e1741228987440-1200x692.jpg)
![E[Thumbnail Edition] Eastern Illinois softball freshman utility player Abbi Hatton deciding to throw the softball to home plate in a fielding drill during softball practice at the field house in Groniger arena on Tuesday Feb. 11.](https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SB_03_O-e1741208880750-1-e1741209739187-1200x815.jpg)
![The Weeklings lead guitarist John Merjave [Left] and guitarist Bob Burger [Right] perform "I Am the Walrus" at The Weeklings Beatles Bash concert in the Dvorak Concert Hall on Saturday.](https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/WL_01_O-1200x900.jpg)
![The team listens as its captain Patience Cox [Number 25] lectures to them about what's appropriate to talk about through practice during "The Wolves" on Thursday, March 6, in the Black Box Theatre in the Doudna Fine Arts Center in Charleston, Ill.](https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/WolvesPre-12-1200x800.jpg)
This morning, EIU announced chair of the nursing department Holly Farley as the next acting provost and vice president for academic affairs.
“I am excited to take on the many responsibilities of this new role, and to help EIU uplift and achieve its critical mission,” Farley said in the press release.
The role of provost opened up following current Provost Ryan Hendrickson’s announcement of his departure from EIU. Hendrickson was hired to be president of the University of St. Francis in Joliet.
Prior to the new role, Farley has been working at EIU for 10 years. Previously, she worked at Olney Central College for nine years as a full-time faculty member.
According to the press release, Farley launched the Gail and Richard Lumpkin school of nursing and helped drive the creation of the traditional bachelor of science in nursing at EIU in 2021.
She earned her doctorate in education in leadership and organizational development in 2017 from Grand Canyon University, according to the press release. In 2005, she earned her master’s in nursing education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and in 1996 she earned her bachelor’s in nursing from Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing.
Farley has experience on the EIU-UPI negotiating team and is a member of the Jasper County Community District #1 School Board, the press release said.
According to the press release, Farley will begin in the position on June 1.
Alli Hausman can be reached at 581-2812 or at athausman@eiu.edu.
