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Alexander Cartwright, professor of electrical engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, recently was named vice provost for strategic initiatives.
As vice provost for strategic initiatives, you're the provost's point person for the UB 2020 strategic strength initiatives. What are your responsibilities?
The vice provost for strategic initiatives is responsible for establishing and assessing the effectiveness of initiatives focused on academic excellence. This includes oversight of the strategic strengths. Specifically, with respect to the strategic strengths, it is my job to work with the deans, the provost and the vice president for research to ensure that the strategic strengths are successful. This office will conduct the annual review of the progress of the strengths. The review process will include review of all aspects of the strategic strengths—education, outreach and scholarly activity—and review by multiple constituencies. Finally, this office will identify opportunities to make connections between the strategic strengths and support efforts to establish multidisciplinary research and education programs.
How are the strategic strengths progressing? Are they all into the implementation phase yet?
The strategic strengths are progressing very well. At the present time, five of the eight strengths—Extreme Events, Information and Computing Technology, Integrated Nanostructured Systems, Molecular Recognition in Biological Systems and Bioinformatics, and Cultures and Texts—are in the implementation phase and will be reviewed at the end of this academic year. Two others—Civic Engagement and Public Policy and Artistic Expression and Performing Arts—should be in the implementation stage within the next month. Finally, Health and Wellness is following a slightly different model that is more applicable to the National Institutes of Health. It also is in the implementation stage and will be accepting letters of intent and proposals three times per year—Nov. 1, March 1 and July 1.
We started with 10 strengths, and now have eight. What happened? Were several strengths combined or refigured? Some also have acquired new names. Tell me about that.
We did start with 10 strengths. There was some reconfiguration. For example, Health and Wellness across the Lifespan is composed of two previous strengths: Aging and Chronic Disease and Clinical and Translational Research. Likewise, Molecular Recognition in Biological Systems and Bioinformatics were merged from two distinct strengths. In both cases, the strengths were combined because of the similarities in the focus areas and common goals of the strengths. You are correct that some also have changed names. For example, the strength that was originally named Nanomaterials has become Integrated Nanostructured Systems. Similarly, Cultural, Historical, Literary and Textual Studies has been renamed to Cultures and Texts. In those cases, this was to ensure that the names reflect the underlying creative activities of the strength. It should be noted that changes such as these are natural in a planning process that was designed to be a continuous process of review and refinement.
What are your immediate and long-range plans as vice provost?
The immediate plans are to ensure that all strategic strengths are in the implementation stage. This will enable us to move to the review process that will allow us to assess how the strengths have improved our academic excellence. Long-range goals are to make it easier for faculty and other researchers (postdocs and students) to focus on scholarly activities. This will include determining appropriate information technology resources for collaborative activities, as well as enhancement of support of facilities and other infrastructure.
How has your career as a researcher prepared you for this administrative position?
Research requires that one quickly learn to manage resources. By working with faculty and researchers from across the university on large multidisciplinary research programs, I was able to see how important interpersonal skills were in making programs successful. More recently, I served as a Faculty in Leadership Fellow and was able to begin to understand the administration process for the university. This experience, combined with the experience of running large research programs, has provided me with perspectives ranging from personal research interests to more broad university objectives.
What's next for the strategic strengths?
Assessment. We want to be sure that these strategic investments are effective in enhancing the academic environment. Moreover, we would like to continue to refine the strategic strengths.
What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have answered it?
How do faculty get involved if they are not already involved? They should review the UB 2020 strategic strength Web site. If faculty see overlap with their research and education interests, they should contact the chair or any other member of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Strategic Strength to determine the best way to become involved within that particular strength. Most importantly, faculty should realize that they can be involved in multiple strategic strengths.