Bradley began the year with significant leadership roles to fill.
The university found its newest president in March; in April, Ethan Ham was appointed dean of the Slane College of Communication and Fine Arts; in May, Jeffrey Wanko became dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences.
But there were still gaps to address. So, in June, a new search began.
This time, the goal was to pick the perfect provost – and who could be better than the person who had already been doing the job for a year?
Dan Moon stepped in as Bradley’s interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs in August 2024. On Nov. 12, 2025, after a five-month nationwide search, he was officially selected for the role.
“I was looking for a provost with integrity,” said Bradley University President James Shadid. “Someone who will hold us accountable, who can collaborate effectively, drive meaningful transformation, and who would require little learning curve to begin this important work. Dan is that person.”
Moon began working at Bradley in 2022 as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Before joining the Bradley community, he spent nearly 18 years at the University of North Florida, where he served as an associate provost.
“Because I had exposure to the provost role, I knew that it was one I might enjoy,” Moon said. “Until you’ve worked in the provost’s office … I think it’s hard to know what the provost role is really about. It’s such a broad portfolio, and there are so many things you have to do.”
This broad portfolio spans all academics at a university. The provost and senior vice president of academic affairs is the person the offices of the registrar, institutional effectiveness and study abroad report to. They oversee deans and faculty, establish partnerships and work to ensure the quality of academic programs.
“It’s a really big role, but that’s one of the things I love about it,” Moon said. “Every day, it’s something different, and I get to work with so many different people across campus.”
Although Moon’s transition from interim provost to permanent provost may seem natural, he was not treated as a guaranteed candidate; he went through the same process as applicants nationwide. Bradley engaged a search firm to support the work of the search committee, and student input was sought through surveys and open forum opportunities.
It was important to Moon that he be part of an objective process.
“All of these stars have to align in order for a person to be the right choice, and for me, if I wasn’t going to be the right choice, I didn’t want the position,” he said.
Now that his role as provost has been made permanent, Moon is prepared to continue the work he began as interim. He named increasing enrollment and improving the overall student experience as priorities for the future.
Moon is co-chairing Bradley’s first-ever strategic enrollment plan, but prospective students are not his only concern.
“Ultimately, everything that the Provost does is all about our students. That’s it,” Moon said. “We can talk about all the responsibilities, all the initiatives, but at the end of the day, it’s all about our students. And one of the things that I am prioritizing is making sure that I stay directly in touch with those individuals that really are the heartbeat of our institution.”
