By Corinne Lestch

The Daily Northwestern

Daniel Linzer, the former dean of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, was appointed university provost, University President Henry Bienen announced on Aug. 29.

The provost is the university’s chief academic officer and is acting chief executive officer in the absence of the president.

Linzer, who had been Weinberg’s dean since 2002, succeeded Lawrence B. Dumas, who stepped down from the position because of an undisclosed health problem.

A member of Northwestern’s faculty since 1970 and provost for 12 years, Dumas decided to take a year-long leave of absence before choosing whether to return to NU in the department of biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology, according to a universitywide e-mail announcing his departure.

Linzer was named to the position just three weeks before classes began.

“There was no transition period for me to learn about the broader university before I actually have to make decisions for the broader university,” Linzer said. “But it’s also the case that, coming from the position I’ve held, I’m pretty familiar with most of the issues that come up.”

Bienen wrote in an e-mail to faculty and staff that he solicited nominations for the new provost and that Linzer’s name continuously was mentioned.

“I am confident that Dan Linzer will be guided by the passion, so richly demonstrated by Larry Dumas, to make a great institution still greater and the skill to realize those high ambitions,” Bienen wrote in the e-mail.

Under Linzer’s leadership as dean, curricular options expanded in the liberal arts, and the number of undergraduate applications to Weinberg increased by more than 60 percent. New programs have also been developed, such as Global Health Studies, the Kellogg Certificate in Financial Economics and the Kaplan Freshman Humanities Scholars Program.

Linzer said he will still be involved with new initiatives and networking opportunities for NU students and faculty, but on a wider scale.

“I now have a broader mandate to try and help the entire university, whereas within Weinberg I was very eager to partner with other universities on a variety of programs for students and faculty,” he said.

Aldon Morris, who was Weinberg’s associate dean for faculty affairs and a professor of sociology and African American studies, was named interim dean of the school.

Linzer said he will be involved in the nationwide search process for a new dean, but added that Morris has more than enough experience to hold the job until the new dean is named.

“I am delighted that he was able to set aside his leave year to serve as dean this year,” Linzer said of Morris, who has been with NU since 1988. “We’re also initiating a search that will, we anticipate, conclude during the academic year with the appointment of the next dean.”

Besides acting as associate dean for the past four years, Morris has also served as director of Asian American studies program and chair of NU’s sociology department.

For now, Linzer said he is focused on helping further establish NU as a leading education and research institution.

“The difference is that now all academics fall under my office,” he said. “I’m not leaving anything behind, I’m just adding to it.”

Reach Corinne Lestch at [email protected].