Jan. 21, 2003
Williams Named Provost
President Trachtenberg Also Announces Promotions for
Top Administrators in Academic Affairs, Finance, and Student/Academic
Support Services
President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg appointed John F. “Skip”
Williams, MD, EdD, to the newly reinstated position of University provost
Jan. 1. Williams becomes the first person to serve as provost of GW
in 14 years. President Trachtenberg also announced the promotions of
Vice Presidents Louis Katz, Donald Lehman, and Robert Chernak.
“I really look at my appointment as a kind of fine tuning of the
University’s organizational structure,” says Williams. “My
goal is to optimize the resources we already have, which is a campus
full of accomplished and dedicated professionals.”
As provost, Williams, who also will retain his positions as vice president
for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences,
will serve a three-year term representing the University and handling
the day-to-day administrative duties whenever Trachtenberg is away from
campus. He also will oversee the offices of the vice president for communications
and the vice president for governmental, international and corporate
affairs.
“I think we’ve got a particularly talented provost,”
says Trachtenberg about Williams. “My interest is in seeing that
his day-to-day activities are challenging and that he is given an opportunity
to use his talents in a way that keeps him focused on GW.”
GW last had a provost in 1989. Trachtenberg eliminated the position
early in his tenure to streamline the administration. “When I first
came to GW in 1988, I was keen to get to know as much about the University
as I could,” he says. “Now after 15 years here, I feel comfortable
that when I’m not on campus, there is someone who can be a spokesman
for the University. Having someone with an appropriate title to carry
out that role makes sense to me now in ways that it didn’t when
I first arrived.”
Trachtenberg has said his activities, including meeting with District
of Columbia officials and with alumni, are requiring more time away
from campus. Trachtenberg also was recently elected to serve as the
next chairman of the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
“There are two kinds of provosts,” explains Williams. “There’s
the academic provost — who I will not be — who is responsible
for all of the academics in the University. There are administrative
provosts, and there are models like this all over the country. This
is an administrative title. When the president is not in town, the day-to-day
running of the administrative apparatus of the University will move
forward.”
Williams will continue to report to the executive vice president for
academic affairs regarding medical school academic matters.
The move to reinstate the provost position comes as part of an initiative
that includes the promotions of vice presidents Louis Katz, Donald Lehman,
and Robert Chernak. Katz becomes executive vice president and treasurer
and Lehman becomes executive vice president for academic affairs and
the George Gamow Professor of Theoretical Physics, a newly established
professorship. Chernak has been designated senior vice president for
student and academic support services.
“These changes are an effort at finer articulation,” says
Trachtenberg. “The executive vice president promotions are indicative
of their respective accomplishments over the years and the growing challenge
of their portfolios.”
As for the new senior vice president, Trachtenberg says that Chernak
“is being recognized for the remarkable achievements during his
tenure at GW and the centrality of his role in the welfare of the faculty
and students of the University.”
The newly promoted administrators will play a key role in an overall
strategic plan the University has embarked on to achieve a higher level
of educational excellence and to continue its momentum and progress
as an outstanding teaching and research institution.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
