September 5, 2003

By Charlotte Crystal

Knowledge of the University and a solid sense of how to promote constructive change distinguish three new vice provosts.

University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III singled out those qualities in announcing appointments for the three vice provost positions – for academic affairs, faculty advancement and international affairs.

J. Milton Adams, professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for academic programs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, will assume the duties of vice provost for academic programs this month. Gertrude Fraser, associate professor of anthropology, will become vice provost for faculty advancement in January. Also in January, Leigh Grossman, professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of pediatric infectious disease, will take over as vice provost for international affairs.

"These three new vice provosts come from within the University's faculty ranks," Casteen said. "These are complex times for national universities, and each of these new leaders brings unique insights and demonstrated leadership to the job. Together with Gene Block, vice president and provost, they will provide strong academic leadership."

Block added: "These individuals, chosen after competitive searches last spring, bring a wealth of experience and depth of expertise that will help the University strengthen its reputation for excellence and position it for strategic growth in the new century."

Adams will serve a five-year term as advisor to Block and represent the provost’s office on issues of curriculum and the general health and welfare of academic units. His responsibilities will include supervision of academic planning, including academic program review, and oversight of academic enhancement programs for undergraduate students. Following a restructuring of the provost’s office, Adams takes on some of the duties previously performed by Barbara Nolan, Robert C. Taylor Professor of English, who has returned to teaching.

Adams received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and his doctorate in biomedical engineering from U.Va. He has won numerous awards for his research and teaching, including a Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health and recognition as an outstanding teacher from the U.Va. Alumni Association, the Engineering School’s Rodman Scholars program and the University.

"Biomedical engineering is a field that brings together faculty from the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science," Adams said. "Coming from that background, I had to learn how to listen and communicate with people who did not use the same language even if they were talking about the same thing. It gave me exposure to different ways of doing things. As vice provost, I plan to get out of the office and talk to people to find out what is on their minds."

Also appointed for a five-year term, Fraser will oversee university-wide recruitment and retention strategies and practices, developing initiatives to promote diversity among faculty and spousal hiring. She replaces Alex M. Johnson Jr., formerly a professor on the U.Va. law faculty, who served as vice provost for faculty recruitment and retention until July 2002, when he accepted a position as dean and professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Fraser earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Bryn Mawr College and her master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently on leave from U.Va., serving as a program officer specializing in education and scholarship with the Ford Foundation in New York. Before joining the U.Va. faculty, she taught at Cornell University. Fraser has published extensively on midwifery and rural health care.

"I will be working to professionalize faculty development at U.Va.," Fraser said. "I’ll be looking not only at recruitment, but also at career development for new and existing faculty members. We need to rethink what it means to be a professor. Along with the traditional goals of encouraging publishing and research, the University needs to consider career trajectories and encourage faculty to develop other aspects of their lives through such things as community engagement."

Grossman will serve a two-year term, working to expand and promote U.Va.’s international programs in education and research. She will replace William Quandt, professor of government and foreign affairs, who was named the University’s first vice provost for international affairs in August 2000. Grossman earned a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University, a master’s degree in preventive medicine and an M.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She joined U.Va. as an assistant professor in pediatrics in 1981 and has served in various departments, including anesthesia, epidemiology, pediatrics, and South Asian Studies.

Grossman grew up in India, and her international experience has colored her medical career. She has served as a consultant with the Pan American Health Organization; as director of a pediatric resident International Medicine elective; as director of an exchange between the U.Va. Department of Pediatrics and the Hospital Nacional de Ninos in San Jose, Costa Rica; as consultant and lecturer at King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; as a pediatrician providing medical services in Haiti; and as a consultant with Project Hope.

"I have been here for 22 years and I love what I do," Grossman said. "I work with phenomenal people and have had the opportunity to do some wonderful things. There are extremely impressive international initiatives and opportunities at this university, but they need recognition, backing, growth and celebration. I look forward to building on the incredible work that Bill Quandt and Rebecca Brown, director of the Office of International Studies, have done in shoring up and building our international initiatives."