Steele appoints vice provost of academic planning

Provost Claude Steele is expanding his senior cabinet.

Steele named Professor Andrew Davidson vice provost for academic planning Tuesday. Davidson is currently the executive vice dean of the Mailman School of Public Health.

In addition to developing medium- and long-range academic planning with the provost, he will also be in charge of University “faculty development and diversity endeavors,” according to an emailed announcement from Steele.

Davidson plans to develop policies and initiatives that will attract and retain a diverse faculty, Steele said.

“It is my belief that faculty development, diversity and planning initiatives are most likely to succeed when they are tightly woven into the core functions and decision-making processes of the institution,” Steele said. “Establishing and institutionalizing a centrally-directed operation in this arena is among my highest priorities.”

Davidson was central to faculty recruitment while serving as executive vice dean at the Mailman School, according to Steele, and developed a junior faculty mentoring program.

Steele also lauded Davidson’s academic experience—he is a faculty fellow of the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy as well as a member of the Graduate School of Arts and Science executive committee. Davidson has presented and reviewed tenure cases to University ad hoc committees, and was previously a chair to a Columbia University Medical Center institutional review board.

“Dr. Davidson’s interpersonal skills will be an asset as he takes on his new role,” Steele said. “He has an open and accessible leadership style, combined with a strong reputation for treating others with respect and dignity.”

Davidson is set to start Nov. 1.