 |
Photo
by Andrew Shurtleff |
| Working
with five different provosts, associate provosts Anda Webb (right)
and M. Wynne Stuart have supported faculty and the academic
mission for a combined total of nearly 20 years. |
February
26, 2004
By
Anne Bromley
Anda
Webb, associate provost for management and budget, is so immersed
in the daily functioning of the University that in any given meeting,
she might discuss budget priorities for Arts
& Sciences, explain the University’s policy on a new
hire’s moving expenses, or champion the benefits of mentoring
for faculty and staff.
“The
great thing about my job is that I get to be involved in lots of
interesting things,” she said, before adding jokingly, “The
bad thing about my job is that I am involved in lots of different
things — a jack of all trades, master of none.”
Some
of the big projects she’s been tackling with other administrators
include reviewing U.Va.’s financial aid formula and helping
the University prepare for a new student software system.
“I
am continually impressed by Anda’s ability to analyze complex
issues and bring insight, focus and fairness into every recommendation,”
said her boss, Gene Block, vice
president and provost, the fifth provost for whom she has worked.
“I am also amazed that she can tell people ‘no’
... and still receive a thank you.”
Having
grown up in small, sleepy towns in Mississippi, Webb said she never
thought she’d leave the state. A degree in computer science
from the University of Southern Mississippi gave her a ticket out,
but it was a few years before she cashed it. Going anywhere else
to live would have been an adventure, she recalled. She moved here,
sight unseen, in 1987 to work as a computer programmer for a company
subcontracted by Centel.
“I
loved Charlottesville from the day I got here,” said Webb,
who applied for a job at U.Va. so she wouldn’t get transferred
away from her new home. She landed a programmer position for academic
computing in the basement of Gilmer Hall. Less than two years later,
in 1988, former associate provost Kathy Reed — who would become
an important mentor — hired Webb as a systems analyst for
the provost’s office
| Stuart
knows classrooms
To answer questions and solve problems on classroom use, faculty
go to M. Wynne Stuart, who was promoted to associate provost
for academic support and classroom management in December.
Stuart previously served as assistant provost for the same
area, beginning in 1995.
Her job entails working on classroom issues from a broad overview,
such as overseeing state requirements on room utilization,
as well as facilitating changes in scheduling and other problem-solving.
Stuart guides faculty in working out logistical problems as
they relate to pedagogical needs. She frequently serves as
the main contact for faculty questions on housing and parking
and transportation.
The principals of Brown and Hereford residential colleges
report to the provost through Stuart, as do the heads of the
U.Va. Art Museum, the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection,
the University Press and the Women’s Center, plus the
Upward Bound program.
“Wynne seems to know every square foot of the University
inside and out. She does a masterful job of [helping with]
classroom scheduling and a host of other critical operations
for the academic mission,” said Gene D. Block, vice
president and provost. “She does this quietly and smartly
without any effort to bring attention to her dedicated work.” |
That
new job was full of challenges, like working with PCs instead of
room-sized mainframe computers, and getting involved in the budget
process. “I didn’t even know how to read a budget,”
Webb said, adding that she asked lots of questions.
Finally, one day Reed responded, “Don’t worry about
it. You can’t screw it up so badly, we can’t fix it.”
“That
was a freeing moment for me,” Webb continued. “It gave
me license to learn and take the initiative. And she was right.”
Webb
soon was ready to move on to a new job with more responsibility
and became associate dean of continuing education. During her five
years there, the division was elevated to school status, becoming
the School for Continuing and Professional Studies. She also helped
create the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program from the
ground up.
“That
was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on,”
she said.
But
when Reed’s job came open in the provost’s office, getting
back into the hub of the University was too good an opportunity
to pass by, she said.
Webb
again works with M. Wynne Stuart, who was recently named associate
provost for academic support and classroom management. “Anda
is wise: she listens carefully to what anyone is saying,”
Stuart said of her colleague. “She tries to think of all aspects
of ramifications of decisions made and actions taken. She has used
her opportunities in her life to listen and learn, which has given
her knowledge to use as she goes on.”
Like
many other faculty administrators, Webb serves on several committees
and is chairing the president’s Women’s Leadership Council
for the second year. The group continues to work on how best to
get widespread support for diversity issues, with gender being one
of them. This year, they’re going to focus on mentoring, too,
Webb said.
“At
some point, I became a resource for people, and I try to answer
their questions,” said Webb. Often by the time people are
calling her office, they have been transferred several times in
search of help for some kind of problem. She calls a large part
of her job “crisis management.”
|
