Dr. Fatma Mili was named interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs by Montclair State President Jonathan Koppell on Jan. 2. Mili replaces Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld, who served as acting provost following Julius Gonzales’ departure in Oct. 2025.
Mili has previous higher education leadership experience, serving as a provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.
A permanent provost is to be chosen, pending a formal selection process. As of Jan. 29, no such action was underway, according to Elyse Toribio Fernandez, university media relations and content strategy director.
“A search committee has not been established,” Fernandez commented. “There is currently no timeline to commence a search at this time.”
In a Jan. 8 university press release, Koppell exhorted that Mili has the attributes to excel in her new role.
“Fatma Mili is a proven academic leader whose breadth of experience, strategic insight and deep commitment to student success make her exceptionally well suited to serve as interim provost,” Koppell said. “I am grateful for her willingness to step into this role and confident she will continue to advance Montclair [State’s] mission and values with both clarity and purpose.”
Koppell at the December town hall meeting about the College of Humanities and Social Sciences restructuring. One of the responsibilities of Fatma Mili, the newly named interim provost, is filling in for University President Jonathan Koppell in his absence. Gwenyth Greenspan︱The Montclarion
Mili shared how her mindset facilitated her interim provost appointment.
“I knew we were fully aligned in terms of vision and in terms of mission,” Mili said. “I was extremely honored and pleased, but I also was aware of our full alignment, so in that respect, it made a lot of sense.”
As interim university provost, Mili has multiple administrative responsibilities. One key task is providing academic direction for the university’s 14 colleges and schools. Other duties include oversight of faculty quality, curriculum development and the university’s institutions and programs. Mili’s duties also entail filling in for Koppell whenever absent at meetings or events.
“I’m leading academic affairs, this means sharpening the vision for academic affairs combined with the mission of the university,” Mili said. “It means working on the day-to-day building the infrastructure, strengthening the infrastructure to better serve the students [and] the university and also working on the priorities in line with the strategic framework.”
Mili will continue to serve as interim dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), holding the position since July. Mili shared she welcomes her dual interim provost and interim CHSS dean titles.
“I am extremely passionate about both,” Mili said. “There is a reason why I joined CHSS [as] dean. I strongly believe in the importance of humanities and social sciences in the university, [and] I am very passionate about making sure that these disciplines thrive and play their role in the university.”
The entrance of the office of the provost at Room 241 at Cole Hall's east end. The appointment was made by Jonathan Koppell, university president, whose headquarters lies across the hall. Thomas Boud︱The Montclarion Photo credit: Thomas Boud
Mili explained the dual posts provide “360-degree visibility” for both the provost’s office and CHSS. Adding that perspective enables her to show, what she termed, “empathy” with the operations in both university sections. Mili went on to add that she has a solid feel for the mechanics of CHSS.
“In CHSS, I have an excellent team,” Milli explained. I had six months to build a huge capital of trust, [and] I’m at a point where I know who is capable to do what parts, so I’m comfortable knowing that things are running smoothly. I’m there when needed, but I also know when to delegate and how to delegate.”
Mili expressed similar confidence in her provost’s office employees.
“In the provost’s office I also have a very strong team,” Mili said. “Excellent individual players who are eager to know what the collective game is and engage in it, so in that respect I am really blessed by two outstanding teams.”
When asked, Mili said she has no university president ambitions, adding that she is happy where she currently is.
“I love academic affairs,” Mili said. “I think that is where my skills are. I think that is where my passion is. It’s not something on my horizon; not at this point in time at least. One should never say never.”
