Two new appointments that comprise part of the reorganization of the Provost's Office have reported to the University.

Christine Curtis has begun work as vice provost for faculty development, a new position, while Elise Ahyi has started as assistant provost for academic policy.

Helen Doerpinghaus, a professor in the Moore School of Business, has been named associate provost and dean of undergraduate studies. Doerpinghaus will succeed Karl Heider July 1 to complete the first round of the reorganization, which may also include a future appointment in the international area.

Curtis, who came to USC from Auburn University where she was a professor of chemical engineering, will have responsibility for all matters relating to faculty development, including coordinating tenure and promotion and post-tenure review. In addition, she will supervise endowed chairs, named professorships, and sabbaticals. She has responsibility for the Center for Teaching Excellence, and will oversee the Faculty Excellence Initiative, the effort to hire 150 new tenured and tenure-track faculty members at the Columbia campus.

"We needed someone to help steer development of the faculty workforce and Christine Curtis is eminently experienced in that area," said William T. "Ted" Moore, vice provost for academic affairs. "She will serve as the go-to person for virtually any matter pertaining to the faculty."

Ahyi will be responsible for managing, reviewing, and maintaining the University's institutional policies normally maintained by the provost's office, including the Faculty Manual. She also will be working with the University's Academic Space Planning Committee on decisions about the construction of new academic buildings and how they relate to the University's strategic vision. Prior to her appointment she was an assistant provost at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

As part of the reorganization, Chris Plyler's responsibilities are broader as vice provost for system affairs. In addition to his existing title of executive dean of regional campuses and continuing education, which includes oversight of the regional campuses and continuing education, Plyler's new position will entail serving as the main liaison with the University's senior campuses in Aiken, Spartanburg, and elsewhere, including the Low Country Graduate Center and the Greenville Graduate Center.

Aileen Trainer has been named assistant provost for academic program development. She will serve as liaison with the S.C. Commission on Higher Education and will continue to serve as director of Extended Graduate Campus which now reports to the vice provost for system affairs.

Moore said the reorganization was in response to the unprecedented growth in size of the University's faculty, the new kind of faculty who will be joining USC in the coming years, and the desire to make the provost's office more efficient and responsive to the needs of faculty.

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