By Wynn McDonald
In May, Bellarmine bid a bittersweet goodbye to a beloved faculty member and administrator. Dr. Carole Pfeffer—known around campus for her infectious personality, dedication to students and tenacious whistling—retired as provost after 30 years of employment at the school.
Now, there’s a fresh face leading Bellarmine’s Academic Affairs team, and he’s picking a new tune.
Dr. Paul Gore was appointed to be the new provost this summer after four years as dean of the College of Professional Studies at Xavier University. He brings a fresh perspective to the office, keeps the focus on academics and even plays a little guitar in his free time.
“Change can be difficult, [but] change can create energy and enthusiasm to do more things,” Vice Provost Dr. Mark Wiegand said. “I think (Dr. Gore) helps to create that energy.”
Gore carries with him a strong passion for the humanities, with a focus on psychology. At Xavier, he managed a variety of programs including education, nursing, health care and the social sciences. Although he is new to Bellarmine, he said most of the school’s core values are very familiar to him.
“It’s not a big leap for me to understand what the mission and the values of a place like Bellarmine are,” Gore said.
Gore also comes from a strong background in the liberal arts tradition. After spending his undergraduate years at Saint Louis University, he earned two master’s degrees in applied bio psychology and community and family counseling from the University of New Orleans and Northeastern Illinois University, respectively. He earned his doctorate in counseling psychology from Loyola University-Chicago before moving into the administrative ranks.
Although he has spent much of his 30-year career at large research universities, Gore never lost his appreciation for the liberal arts and Jesuit tradition in which he was raised—or as he termed it, the “Bellarmine language.”
“When I interviewed… all that stuff from my college came rushing back,” Gore said. “I can’t ever see myself not being at a private Catholic university because the mission is so palpable.”
In his short time in Louisville, Gore has already made an impression through his soft-spoken but engaging personality and commitment to working closely with the faculty. Part of his plans for his first semester include a listening tour where he intends to meet with representatives of every academic department at Bellarmine, discuss their vision for working together and establish “what it means to be a dean.”
“He has a focus on faculty and building those relationships,” said Dr. Mary Huff, the newly appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “He’s very open to discussions, [and] I always leave him feeling positive.”
This emphasis on personal relationships has always been important to Gore, but he said he has done his best to pick up where Pfeffer left off.
“I’m learning about how she was [as provost] and trying to take the best of those things. Getting out and about on campus, meeting as many students as I can,” he said.
In many ways, it’s the same tune but with a new verse.
“She was truly loved here, and I’m trying to recognize that in the people I work with most closely,” Gore said. “They’re used to Carole, and now it’s Paul.”
The appointment of Gore coincides with the hiring of Dr. Michael Marshall as the new vice president for enrollment this year. Along with the arrival of President Dr. Susan Donovan in 2017, it represents the beginning of a new era in the university’s development.
“This is all part of a transition in upper administration that has been pretty exciting,” Wiegand said.
Gore said the fresh outlook and direction in the president’s office was one of the main factors he was looking for in potential provost opportunities.
“I was excited to meet with Susan Donovan,” he said. “She’s pretty straight-forward, and that allows me to be very frank and candid with her… I want to be a partner in success.”
While he may not possess Pfeffer’s penchant for whistling, his modest musical aspirations manage to keep him busy. He said he is still just beginning to learn the guitar, but enthusiastic to continue. As he begins his new chapter at Bellarmine, he’s happy to have been “picked” for the job.