Following the departure of Provost Earl Lewis from the University, Claire Sterk will assume the position of acting provost on Nov. 10 until a permanent replacement can be found.
Sterk, Candler Professor in Public Health and former senior vice provost, said that she was honored to have been given the position and said that University President James W. Wagner had met with her personally to offer her the job. Although Sterk had not expressed an interest in taking the job beforehand, she ended up having several discussions with Wagner after which she formally accepted the appointment last week.
“As a member of [Lewis’] senior leadership team, I have been in the position to become very familiar with the role of the provost,” Sterk said.
Although Sterk will assume her duties as acting provost this month, Lewis will officially hold the title of provost until Dec. 31. After this date, Sterk will hold onto her role until a replacement is found by the University’s Search Advisory Committee.
According to Wagner, Sterk is “extraordinary in her ability to juggle multiple responsibilities [in administration and academia].” He added that she can work “in a seamless fashion across divisions.”
In addition to her administrative work, Sterk holds two doctorate degrees and has been awarded more than $6.3 million in grant money to study the relationship between neighborhood effects, HIV risk-taking and drug abuse.
Despite her role as acting provost, Sterk plans to continue this research.
“Over the past several years, I have been able to occupy multiple roles,” she said. “I do plan to remain actively engaged with the Rollins School of Public health as a faculty member and researcher.”
She added that her work as provost would focus on expanding projects that Lewis created and would entail close cooperation with her predecessor.
“I envision working closely with him and seeking his counsel as appropriate,” she said. “I am aware of the need to ensure appropriate staffing of the office as we face a transition.”
While Sterk emphasized expansion of former projects, she also stressed that her office will be a site for innovation.
“My goal is to ensure that we also move forward and explore new initiatives,” she said. “The broader community must continue to engage in an ongoing dialogue about the major shifts facing higher education.”
Lewis is scheduled to become president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation – a grant-making organization that supports programs in areas such as higher education, scholarly communications and the performing arts – this March.
– By Rajiv Velury
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