Johns Hopkins University has announced a significant restructuring of its faculty affairs leadership, signaling a renewed commitment to faculty development and academic excellence.
Provost Ray Jayawardhana shared a reimagined structure for the faculty affairs portfolio. This announcement follows the conclusion of Ralph Etienne-Cummings’ three-year term as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, which will end in June.
Executive Vice Provost Lainie Rutkow will assume expanded responsibilities beginning July 1. These include leadership roles related to the Johns Hopkins University Council (JHUC) and the Tenure Advisory Committee (TAC).
Joining her in this restructured leadership is Cynthia Minkovitz, a respected pediatric health expert. She will serve in the newly envisioned role of Vice Provost for Faculty Development.
As part of her expanded role, Rutkow will partner with Provost Jayawardhana to coordinate and support both the JHUC and the TAC.
Her collaboration with divisional academic leaders will be instrumental in strengthening tenure and promotion standards across the university.
Rutkow’s efforts will ensure that the JHUC remains a vital forum for faculty deliberation and shared governance.
In addition, she will take on primary responsibility for overseeing the university’s faculty misconduct policy.
This comprehensive role will also involve working alongside Minkovitz to convene and support vice deans for faculty across all academic divisions.
Rutkow’s expanded leadership marks a strategic effort to align faculty governance, development, and policy under cohesive and focused leadership.
“Lainie’s tireless dedication to Johns Hopkins and its mission has been evident in every role she has taken on,” said Provost Jayawardhana.
He emphasized Rutkow’s ability to bring “clarity, insight, and rigor” to her work, noting his enthusiasm about their continued partnership.
Rutkow is a professor of health policy and management with appointments in both the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the School of Advanced International Studies.
She has served as Executive Vice Provost since January 2024, overseeing numerous core areas including student affairs, faculty affairs, diversity, admissions, and well-being.
Her leadership portfolio also includes integrative learning, life design, and oversight of cultural and academic centers like the Johns Hopkins University Press and Berman Institute for Bioethics.
In addition, she has played a central role in launching the new Johns Hopkins School of Government and Policy, the university’s first academic division since 2007.
Previously, as Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives, Rutkow led strategic and academic planning for the Hopkins Bloomberg Center.
Her projects included launching programs like the Nexus Awards and the Hopkins Semester in D.C., designed to expand interdisciplinary learning.
Rutkow was also instrumental in the development and leadership of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center during the pandemic.
“Shared governance bodies like JHUC and the TAC support our faculty and make important contributions to advancing our university’s mission,” Rutkow remarked.
Meanwhile, Cynthia Minkovitz will assume her new role as Vice Provost for Faculty Development, also beginning July 1.
Minkovitz will focus on enhancing faculty growth, developing faculty pipeline initiatives, and improving the faculty experience across all stages of academic careers.
She will oversee initiatives such as dual-career support, improved faculty metrics, and signature programs like the LAD Academy and The Academy for retired faculty.
Having joined Johns Hopkins in 1994, Minkovitz brings a deep institutional knowledge and a history of leadership in faculty mentorship and development.
“These restructured roles reflect our deep institutional commitment to promoting faculty success,” Jayawardhana concluded, “and ensuring the conditions for faculty members to pursue their intellectual ambitions and professional goals.”
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