Spotlight
SPOTLIGHT NBN's guide to the provost.
Right-hand man Outgoing provost Dan Linzer has left his mark on NU.
BY LAUREN BALLY ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMMA KUMER
If you participated in Dance Marathon in 1991, you’d find, among the masses of undergraduates, future Provost Dan Linzer sweating on the dance floor. As part of the first faculty group to participate in DM, Linzer told The Daily Northwestern that getting out with the “young folks” was a bit daunting, but he and his compatriots helped to raise nearly $190,000 for charity, helping set what was then DM’s record for donations. But even before his dancin’ days, Linzer was making an impression. He joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology as an assistant professor in 1984, and in 1985 he was named one of 20 Searle Scholars, a prestigious award from the Chicago Community Trust for younger researchers that paid $180,000 over three years. The next school year, he was named to ASG’s Faculty Honor Roll. After nearly 20 years as a professor, including time as an associate dean, Linzer was announced as the new dean of Weinberg in February 2001, replacing Eric Sundquist. He took over the position’s responsibilities in 2002. During his five years as Weinberg’s dean, Linzer helped to pioneer new programs like Global Health Studies and the Kellogg Certificate in Financial Economics, expand liberal arts curricula, and establish the Alice Kaplan Humanities Program. Under his watch, applications to Weinberg increased by more than 60 percent. In September 2007, President Henry Bienen selected Linzer as his right-hand man, a position officially known as the provost. Although his almost decade-long tenure as provost has been filled with plenty of ups and downs, Linzer’s departure from Northwestern at the end of this academic year will affect many. After more than 30 years at Northwestern, he will no doubt leave a legacy – both good and bad – for many years to come. Here are five lasting impacts from Linzer’s time as provost.
WHAT THE HELL IS A
PROVOST? BY PAOLA DE VARONA
22 | NORTH BY NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern Strategic Plan OCTOBER 2011
One of the ways Linzer will likely influence Northwestern after his retirement is through Northwestern’s Strategic Plan, which was unveiled in October 2011. The plan identified four overarching goals: to discover creative solutions to contemporary challenges across the world, extend academic experiences beyond the classroom, create a more inclusive and united community on campus and connect Northwestern to Chicago and global communities. These plans have resulted in updated facilities, increased academic opportunities for students and strengthened alumni relations. They have been spurred on by more than $3 billion of donations since the fundraising campaign launched in March 2014.
Institute for Sustainability and Energy 2013
The Institute for Sustainability and Energy was originally launched as a five-year research initiative under then-President Henry Bienen in 2008 to address a gap on research in energy and sustainability. Linzer was responsible for approving the funding that created the institute in 2013. Since its creation, the institute has created new opportunities for students to pursue an interdisciplinary curriculum through nine new classes that are available to all undergraduate students, formed a collaboration space in the J wing of Tech, funded
Although the role of provost has changed significantly in the last six decades, current Provost Dan Linzer also has a lot more to juggle than his predecessors. When the position was first created, only three people reported to the provost: the vice president and dean of faculties, the vice president for medical affairs, and the director for university libraries. Now, Linzer presides over an enormous university bureaucracy, including an office of 35 administrators
