Provost Office: Memorandum
To: The Drexel University Community
From: Stephen W. Director, Provost
Subject: Appointment: Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development
and Equity
Date: 19 June 2007
Dr. Janet Fleetwood named Associate Vice Provost
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Janet Fleetwood, Professor and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine, as Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Equity.
The motivation for creating this position grew out of the recommendations of the Provost's Task Force on Faculty Diversity. In this position Dr.
Fleetwood will have the responsibility for providing leadership for achieving and sustaining faculty excellence through attention to faculty recruitment, development, diversity and retention. Based upon the reports of the subcommittees of the Task Force on Faculty Diversity and the priorities set forth in Drexel's new Strategic Plan, Dr. Fleetwood will provide leadership in creating a strategy for improving the academic climate for all faculty.
Early initiatives will focus on providing practical and accessible resources to foster work-life balance, attending to faculty development needs throughout the career trajectory, developing a university-wide speaker series on equity and diversity, and updating academic policies to provide the necessary flexibility for enhanced productivity. In addition, Dr.
Fleetwood will assist faculty search committees in broadening their recruitment efforts and collaborate with regional institutions to create a consortium for dual-partner employment searches. These improvements will enhance the quality of our educational and research programs across the university.
In addition, the Center for Academic Excellence, under the direction of Professor Barbara Hornum, will report to Dr. Fleetwood.
Professor Fleetwood has served on the faculty in the College of Medicine for over two decades, following the receipt of her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Southern California. She has played a significant role in the development of the College of Medicine's medical humanities division and in creating a comprehensive medical ethics curriculum, receiving the Trustees'
Award for Teaching Excellence in 1995. Dr. Fleetwood's service activities focus on faculty development and, prior to completing the ELAM program and serving as a Provost's Fellow, Dr. Fleetwood chaired the Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee and the Faculty Grievance Committee.
She has also served on the Tenure Committee, Faculty Steering Committee, and Executive Faculty in the College of Medicine.