Theodore Curry

Theodore H. (Terry) Curry serves as Senior Advisory Consultant to Harris Search Associates providing insight, national relationships, and vetting of candidates on behalf of client institution committees and our firm.

Terry is Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Human Resources Emeritus at Michigan State University (MSU), a position he held from 2007 until 2020, prior to his retirement from MSU. Before becoming Associate Provost, he served eight years as Director of the Graduate School of Labor and Industrial Relations (now the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations) of Michigan State University where he is also professor emeritus of human resources management. He holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in business administration with concentration in human resources management from the University of Kansas. 

As Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Human Resources Professor Curry had responsibility for faculty affairs issues for more than 5700 faculty, academic staff, and executive managers. In his 13 years in the role, he led more than 20 dean searches, as well as searches for associate provost and other senior academic leaders. He negotiated dean appointment contracts and led the five-year review of deans.  He also developed and led dean onboarding programs, and onboarding/orientation and leadership development programs for department chairs and other senior academic leaders.    

As Associate Provost, he managed the MSU promotion and tenure process, reviewing more than 2,000 reappointment, promotion and tenure dossiers. He also reviewed and approved all promotions of non-tenure system faculty and academic staff. In collaboration with the Office of Employee Relations, he was responsible for contract negotiations and administration with the MSU non-tenure track teaching faculty and graduate teaching assistants. Professor Curry and his team worked closely with academic governance and the Council of Deans to revise and create policies to improve the quality, diversity, and climate at MSU. 

He has served as a consultant to a number of companies, associations, and public sector units in the United States and abroad on human resources management and training concerns and was appointed a charter member of the Michigan Governor's Labor Management Advisory Committee. He co-developed and co-led the first management development program for administrative leaders of the United States Supreme Court. Professor Curry is a member of several professional and honorary organizations. He serves on the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education Advisory Board and served as Chairperson of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Academic Leadership Program until his MSU retirement. He has written a number of articles for professional publications including the Personnel Administrator, Training and Development Journal, and the texts Contemporary Issues in Human Resources Management, Understanding Cultural Diversity, Employment Law: The Workplace Responsibilities of Employers and Employees and Managing Human Resources in the 21st Century.