Vice Provost Wendell Pritchett Just Happy to Be Here

A Netflix fireplace roaring behind him, Vice Provost Wendell Pritchett reclines back into his leather armchair, the figure of ease. Known to most students for speaking at convocation and co-signing emails with President Amy Gutmann, Pritchett spends his the bulk of his time these days lounging in his den. 

“Amy, bless her heart, she does what needs to be done, but the spotlight just isn’t for me. Frankly, I’m just happy to be here,” he told UTB as he gently swirled a glass of warm brandy. Currently, Pritchett has been working on a series of scale model trains and towns, in addition to catching up on the popular show Friends, which “just tickles me — I love those friends!” 

As the holiday season approaches, Pritchett says he’s looking forward to the annual office gift exchange, where he and President Gutmann have a time-honored tradition. “I’ll get her something she’s been talking about, like a nice pen, and she’ll get me the same thing every time: an Amazon gift card, which is great, because I can choose my own gift.”