Northwestern Appoints New Associate Provost for Faculty

Following is a memo to the Northwestern University community:

Dear Colleagues:

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, currently professor of human development and social policy at the School of Education and Social Policy and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research (IPR), has accepted the position of associate provost for faculty, effective Sept. 1, 2013. She succeeds Dr. James B. Young, who has served as associate provost since 2008.

In recognition of her outstanding scholarship and teaching, Chase-Lansdale will also be appointed as the Frances Willard Professor of Human Development and Social Policy. Lindsay specializes in multidisciplinary research on societal issues that affect families and the development of children and youth -- especially those who are economically disadvantaged. A former American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science Fellow, she is a national expert on the interface between research and public policy. Chase-Lansdale also served for eight years as the founding director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-funded center, Cells to Society (C2S): The Center on Social Disparities and Health at IPR, a role that required her to be conversant in subfields that range from psychobiology and gene-environment interplay to economics and public policy. She will continue leading her current research programs while serving as associate provost.

Internationally recognized for her research and its applications, Chase-Lansdale is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. She was recently elected as a member of the National Academy of Education. She is the recipient of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) Social Policy Award, as well as the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Policy for Children. She is also a fellow of Ascend at the Aspen Institute, a new program designed to bring together innovative senior leaders from research, practice, policy, philanthropy, business and media to promote a two-generation approach to fostering life opportunities for low-income parents and children.

As associate provost for faculty, Chase-Lansdale will play a significant role in all matters pertaining to Northwestern's faculty. In particular, she will work to build and support faculty excellence across the University, identifying new ways to strengthen faculty innovation and distinction. Her key priorities will revolve around recruiting and retaining faculty, supporting orientation and mentoring, fostering collaboration, enhancing diversity, and encouraging scholarly and creative work and teaching.  

Please join me in giving Lindsay a warm welcome as she begins this new position.

Daniel Linzer, 
Provost