Johns Hopkins University provost shares reimagined faculty affairs portfolio

Johns Hopkins University Provost Ray Jayawardhana shared a reimagined structure for the faculty affairs portfolio, following the announcement that Ralph Etienne-Cummings will conclude a three-year term as vice provost for faculty affairs at the end of June. Executive Vice Provost Lainie Rutkow will assume expanded responsibilities, including with the Johns Hopkins University Council (JHUC) and the Tenure Advisory Committee (TAC), and pediatric health expert Cynthia Minkovitz will serve as vice provost for faculty development.

Image caption: Lainie Rutkow and Cynthia Minkovitz

As part of this role's evolution, Rutkow will partner with Jayawardhana to assume coordination and support for JHUC and the TAC. Together with divisional academic leaders, she will work closely with the TAC to further strengthen tenure and promotion standards and processes across the university and ensure JHUC remains an engaged and effective forum for faculty deliberation and shared governance. She will also take on primary responsibility for the faculty misconduct policy. In partnership with Minkovitz, she will convene and support the vice deans for faculty across the academic divisions. Rutkow will assume these new responsibilities on July 1.

"Lainie's tireless dedication to Johns Hopkins and its mission has been evident in every role she has taken on, always bringing clarity, insight, and rigor to her work," Jayawardhana said. "I look forward to working in close partnership with her to continue supporting faculty excellence and shared governance."

Rutkow, a professor of health policy and management at the university's Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Advanced International Studies, has served as executive vice provost since January 2024. In this role, she oversees faculty affairs, student affairs, admissions and financial aid, student health and well-being, integrative learning and life design, diversity and inclusion, and institutional equity, and among the academic and cultural centers, the Johns Hopkins University Press, Urban Health Institute, and Berman Institute for Bioethics. She has also been supporting the launch of the Johns Hopkins School of Government and Policy, the university's first new academic division since 2007.

In her previous role as vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives, Rutkow led the strategic and academic planning for the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, including the Nexus Awards and the Hopkins Semester in D.C. program. She also helped develop and lead the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

"Shared governance bodies like JHUC and the TAC support our faculty and make important contributions to advancing our university's mission," Rutkow said.

Minkovitz, a widely recognized expert in early child health at the Bloomberg School, has been appointed to the reimagined role of vice provost for faculty development. In this role, Minkovitz will have an expanded focus on supporting the professional growth and advancement of faculty and enhancing the faculty experience across career stages. Her portfolio will include advancing faculty development and pipeline initiatives, improving faculty data and metrics, and providing dual career support. She will also oversee signature programs such as the Leadership, Advancement, and Development (LAD) Academy and The Academy, which provides a platform for retired faculty to continue their research, writing, and other academic pursuits. Minkovitz will assume her new role on July 1.

"Cynthia is a respected leader and a dedicated collaborator who has served the university in multiple roles that exemplify her commitment to supporting faculty members' professional growth and achievement," Jayawardhana said. "I'm delighted she will join the university leadership to bring her talents to bear in advancing academic excellence and championing faculty success throughout Johns Hopkins."

Minkovitz joined Johns Hopkins in 1994 as a fellow in general pediatrics at the School of Medicine, and two years later received joint faculty appointments in the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Bloomberg School, which she has chaired since 2017. As chair, Minkovitz has prioritized faculty recruitment, mentorship, and professional development, advancing interdisciplinary collaboration and cultivating an academic culture that supports innovation and long-term institutional vitality. Her service has extended beyond the Bloomberg School to universitywide efforts, including serving on the University Pandemic Academic Advisory Committee, an academic leadership group that transitioned into the JHUC after the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is a privilege to uphold our tradition of excellence and to advance JHU's efforts to attract, support, and inspire exceptional and influential faculty," Minkovitz said.

Jayawardhana added: "These restructured roles reflect our deep institutional commitment to promoting faculty success and ensuring the conditions for faculty members to pursue their intellectual ambitions and professional goals, enriching our entire academic community."