Leadership Transitions

Davenport Oversees Rockefeller Chapel

As the new Dean of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, the Rev. Elizabeth Davenport leads the University community in the quest for religious and spiritual meaning. In addition to supervising weekly religious services, she promotes a robust interfaith dialogue and furthers the understanding of religious diversity on campus. Davenport was most recently Episcopal chaplain and assistant dean of student affairs at the University of Southern California, where she also taught medical ethics in the medical school.

Daniel Named Vice President for Financial Strategy, Budget

Kermit Daniel, an economist and financial strategist, analyst, and consultant, was appointed the University’s first Vice President for Financial Strategy and Budget. His major responsibilities include overseeing the development of integrated, strategic financial planning and building financial analytic capacity for the University. A priority is developing a long-term financial plan that addresses ambitious programmatic and capital goals while protecting the University’s assets. Daniel received a PhD in economics from Chicago in 1993. He came to Chicago from Katzenbach Partners, a New York-based management consulting firm.

Lipinski Appointed to Civic Engagement Post

One of the nation’s most respected journalists and civic leaders, Ann Marie Lipinski will help create a new model for a major urban university acting in partnership with its city as the University’s Vice President for Civic Engagement. Her broad portfolio includes the University’s engagement with the Chicago Public Schools, public safety, and the city’s bid for the 2016 Olympics. She will help maximize the University’s efforts to work with its neighbors, ensuring that the city contributes to the University’s powerful educational experience. Under Lipinski’s stewardship as managing editor and editor, the Chicago Tribune became a leader in public service.

New Deputy Provosts Address Graduate Education, Arts

Provost Thomas F. Rosenbaum created two new positions: As Deputy Provost for Graduate Education, Cathy Cohen, the David and Mary Winton Green Professor in Political Science, will lead a critical assessment of the graduate experience across the University, considering new programs and paradigms necessary to define graduate education for the future. She is also the point person for the Graduate Aid Initiative.

As Deputy Provost for the Arts, Larry Norman, Associate Professor in Romance Languages & Literatures, will advance the integration of the academic, cocurricular, and professional arts into the University community and strive to deepen the University’s cultural connections with the city. He also coordinates plans for the development of the Reva and David Logan Center for Creative and Performing Arts.