A new working group to focus on continuity strategies for the university will include six members of the School of Engineering. Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente announced the launch of the University Continuity Working Group today.
The group will advise university leadership by providing feedback and recommendations that allow the university to continue operating safely and productively in the coming months, fall semester and year ahead.
“In good times and in difficult times, Vanderbilt will always maintain its focus on our mission of learning and discovery and our commitment to research, scholarship and creative expression,” Wente said. “While the COVID-19 pandemic has created a time of extraordinary circumstances for all higher education institutions, I am grateful to have the University Continuity Working Group working with other committees as we plan the path ahead, emerge from this unprecedented situation, and ensure continuity in our mission despite the unknowns.”
The working group will coordinate three subcommittees focused on the pillars of the university’s continuity plan: education; research, scholarship and creative expression; and community and service. Faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows and students will comprise the new working group and its subcommittees.
Each subcommittee will consider key issues to be addressed and ideas for moving forward to serve the university’s mission in each of their respective areas. The working group joins the recently launched Public Health Advisory Task Force in providing expert guidance for the university’s planning and decision-making processes during this crisis.
School of Engineering members are:
Working Group
Anita Mahadevan-Jansen, Orrin H. Ingram Professor of Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Neurological Surgery, Professor of Otolaryngology, and Director of the Vanderbilt Biophotonics Center
Community/Service Continuity Subcommittee
Christopher Rowe, Associate Dean for External Relations in the School of Engineering, Professor of the Practice of Engineering Management, and Professor of Communication of Science and Technology
Ex Officio
William Robinson, Interim Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, Associate Dean for Academic Success, Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Professor of Computer Engineering
Education Continuity Subcommittee
Cynthia Paschal, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the School of Engineering, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Research Continuity Subcommittee
Ronald Schrimpf, Orrin H. Ingram Professor of Engineering, Professor of Electrical Engineering, and director of the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics
Ex Officio
Padma Raghavan, Vice Provost for Research, Professor of Computer Science, and Professor of Computer Engineering
For the full list of members of the University Continuity Working Group and continuity subcommittees, visit the Office of the Provost committees webpage.
To stay informed on updates and announcements from the university related to COVID-19, please visit vu.edu/coronavirus.
Contact: Brenda Ellis, 615 343-6314
brenda.ellis@vanderbilt.edu