Dr. Fletcher Linder currently serves as the James Madison University Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. As the university’s Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Linder oversees the university’s educational mission, faculty, and academic programs. JMU is currently classified by Carnegie as a Research 2, High Research Spending and Doctorate Production, university.

A medical and cultural anthropologist with a rank of full professor, Dr. Linder has over 35 years of professional experience in higher education. He has secured over $26M in external funding and authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. His research has been cited over 5,700 times in such journals as American Ethnologist, American Journal of Preventative Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Arthritis Care and Research, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, Medical Anthropology, Preventative Medicine, Prevention Science, and Teaching Ethics.

Dr. Linder’s previous leadership roles include co-leading a state-wide online education partnership and serving as Associate Provost for Online Strategy, Dean of University Studies, and Associate Vice Provost for University Programs. He was also the founding Academic Unit Head of the Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies program.

Dr. Linder holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.