Mathematician David McLaughlin Named Provost Philosopher and FAS Dean Richard Foley To Chair University Academic Priorities Committee Education Scholar Robert Berne Named Sr. Vice President for Health Mary Sansalone, Cornell Professor and Administrator, Named Vice Provost and Vice President John Sexton, President-designate of New York University, today named his academic leadership team, on which he will be relying to guide the University in achieving a “category change.” Dr. Sexton assumes the presidency on May 17th, along with those he named today to new posts.
He named David McLaughlin, a leading applied mathematician and director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, as Provost; Richard Foley, an esteemed philosopher and dean of NYU’s Faculty of Arts and Science, as chair of the University’s Committee on Academic Priorities; and Robert Berne, a highly regarded scholar of public education policy and NYU’s vice-president for academic and health affairs, as Senior Vice President for Health.
Dr. Sexton said, “I am honored and delighted to make the appointments of these dazzling individuals as our academic leadership team. They will work closely with me, the deans, the administrative leadership team, and faculty and student leaders in shaping the University’s major policies and priorities, and engaging our entire community in achieving a category change in excellence in the coming years. I have unbounded faith in the quality of this team.
“While we have a great foundation of achievements to build upon, our institution faces major challenges to accomplish our objectives. A team-based culture, with capable and collaborative leaders who see their value as enhanced by working closely together with others, will be critical to our success. If there is to be a single phrase that captures the spirit of the 15th NYU Presidency, it is collegial decision-making and dedication to the enterprise. The announcements today represent the mobilization of extraordinary talent and of a group of people that has demonstrated a commitment to operating in such a system.
“I am very pleased that David, Dick, and Bob have agreed to accept these posts, and I look forward to continuing our work together.”
David McLaughlin Appointed as Provost
Following a thorough national and international search that brought forward more than a dozen outstanding candidates, both internal and external, Dr. David McLaughlin has been appointed Provost. An interdisciplinary applied mathematician, he has been the director of the acclaimed Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences since 1994.
As Provost, Dr. McLaughlin will serve as NYU’s most senior academic officer. His goals as Provost include making academic priorities a central component of every administrative decision at the University, and engaging the faculty actively in these decision processes.
Dr. Sexton said, “The Provost’s efforts will be pivotal for our future success. The search committee, to whom we all owe an enormous debt of gratitude, and I recognized that David’s professional credentials, deep knowledge of NYU, extensive contributions to the University, and unwavering commitment and belief in what we hope to become, made him a superb choice. David is someone who has attained world class status in his field, is an accomplished administrator, and a leading voice among our faculty and within our community. He will be my partner in all things academic, and will work with great enthusiasm and effectiveness with others on the leadership team in helping us realize our objectives.”
Dr. McLaughlin is a professor of mathematics and neural science, and an adjunct professor of biomathematics at the Mt. Sinai Medical School. Previously, he was the director of the program in applied and computation mathematics at Princeton University, having joined the faculty there in 1989. After beginning his career in 1970 as an assistant professor of mathematics at the Heights campus of NYU, he joined the faculty of Iowa State University, and in 1974, he joined the faculty of the University of Arizona, where he was chairman of the program in applied mathematics.
He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the author of more than 100 papers and articles, an editor of two books, and a member of the editorial boards of numerous journals of applied mathematics and nonlinear science. Currently, he is chairman of the activities group on dynamical systems for the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics. He was a recipient of the Lester Ford Award from the American Mathematical Society in 1976, was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1994, and was the recipient of the David Alcaraz Spinola Award from the University of Mexico in 1995. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Richard Foley Appointed as Chair of the University’s Academic Priorities Committee
Dean Richard Foley, an esteemed philosopher and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) at NYU since 2000, will become, in addition to his duties at FAS, the chair of the University’s Committee on Academic Priorities. This new University committee, composed primarily of faculty members, will be charged with continuing the work begun by one of the advisory groups of the Presidential Transition Team and, together with the Provost, other members of the senior team, and the deans, with the task of shaping the University’s academic agenda.
Dr. Sexton said, “Dick assumed the FAS deanship less than two years ago. He has already set in motion major initiatives - from the overhaul of the sciences to necessary improvements in academic infrastructure that are indispensable to the future development of the arts and sciences and hence, of the University as a whole. It seemed to me that NYU’s interests would best be served by suitably elevating the position of FAS dean to a central role within the University administration, to permit continuing progress in the University’s most important academic unit just as we intend to increase our commitment to it. David and Dick will work closely with each other, as well as with the Executive Vice President, the Senior Vice President for Health, and me, to make NYU the envy of research universities around the nation.”
Prior to being named dean of FAS — which encompasses more than 60 departments and programs in the undergraduate College of Arts and Science, the Graduate School of Arts and Science, and the two allied units of Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the Institute of Fine Arts — in 2000, Dean Foley was Executive Dean of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers from 1996-2000, as well as Dean of the Graduate School. From 1992-1996, he was the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers. From 1990-1992, he chaired Rutgers’ philosophy department. And from 1983-1990, he chaired Notre Dame’s philosophy department. He received his doctorate from Brown University.
Dr. Foley’s academic specialty is epistemology, the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin and nature of knowledge, and he is widely regarded as one of the leaders in the field. His books include Intellectual Trust in Oneself and Others (Cambridge University Press, 2001), Working Without a Net (Oxford University Press, 1993), and The Theory of Epistemic Rationality (Harvard University Press, 1987).
Robert Berne Appointed as Senior Vice President for Health
Dr. Robert Berne, a noted scholar and expert on public education, has been named the Senior Vice President for Health. A core member of the leadership team, in his new post, he will be responsible for working with deans and other University leaders on long-term academic, financial, and operational strategies for the wide range of health activities at NYU. In addition to developing strategies for the Univerity’s health and health-related programs, he will also be the principal liaison with the NYU Hospitals Center and the Mt. Sinai/NYU Health organization, and the point person for NYU’s academic affiliation with the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
Dr. Sexton said, “The term health’ now encompasses so much efforts and advances in biomedical research, the education and training of caregivers, the treatment of patients, the management of vast and complex medical centers, the systems to ensure our personal well-being, and the policies that guide the interactions of all these enterprises. Our programs in these areas are wide-ranging, and it is clear that a single individual was needed who could oversee all these separate threads and weave them into a structure that plays to our strengths. Bob is eminently well suited for that assignment. In every post he has held during his service here, he has brought wisdom, and insight, and has accumulated a record of achievement. The University as a whole will benefit greatly from his willingness to take on this new challenge.”
Currently the University’s Vice President for Academic and Health Affairs, a post he has held since 2000, Dr. Berne was named Vice President for Academic Development in 1996. From 1994 to 1997, he was dean of NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and served as associate dean from 1988 to 1993. In 1986, he was a recipient of NYU’s Great Teacher Award. He has been a faculty member since 1976.
A scholar of public education policy and financing, Bob was a founder and co-director of NYU’s Institute for Education and Social Policy. From 1989 to 1991, he served as executive director of the New York State Temporary Commission on New York City School Governance, also known as the Marchi Commission. He furnished critical expert analysis and testimony in the landmark school finance case, CFE v. The State of New York.
His books and studies include: The Measurement of Equity in School Finance (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984), co-authored with Professor Leanna Stiefel of NYU’s Wagner School; co-authorship of Hard Lessons: Public Schools and Privitization (Twentieth Century Fund Press, 1996) with Carol Ascher and Norm Fruchter of NYU’s Institute for Education and Social Policy; The Relationships Between Financial Reporting and the Measurement of Financial Condition, for the Government Accounting Standards Board in 1992; and co-authorship of The Financial Analysis of Governments (Prentice-Hall, 1986) with Richard Schramm. He has published in numerous journals, including The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Policy Analysis, Policy Science, and Public Administration Review, among others. He received his BS (with distinction), his MBA and his Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Additional Appointments in the Provost’s Office
Dr. Sexton also announced several appointments within the Provost’s Office.
Dr. Mary Sansalone will be the University’s Vice President for Planning and Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives. She is currently a professor of civil and environmental engineering and formerly Vice Provost of Academic Programs and Institutional Initiatives at Cornell University. She will engage in analytical planning and be a liaison between the academic team, the Health Team, and the Executive Vice President on institutional planning issues, becoming an important link to various schools, and heading academic aspects of key functions such as IT and admissions. She will come to NYU in June.
Richard Stanley, who joined NYU in 1979 and has served as Vice Provost since 2000, will become Executive Vice Provost. He will have broad duties encompassing operations and budget, space and facilities planning, and faculty housing, and provide key coordination between the Office of the Provost, Office of the Executive Vice President, and the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health.
Dr. Farhad Kazemi, whose principal focus is on global programs and initiatives, and Dr. Sharon Weinberg, who is involved in faculty affairs and faculty development activities as primary responsibilities, will stay on as Vice Provosts.
New York University, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, was established in 1831 and is one of America’s leading research universities. It is one of the largest and most selective private universities, and it has more international students than any other college or university in the U.S. Through its 13 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and dramatic arts, music, public administration, social work, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas.