
Spitz shown with author and Northwestern faculty member Rebecca Makkai as he receives StoryStudio Chicago’s Emerging Writer Award.
Meet Jared Spitz
Jared Spitz joined Northwestern as a part-time research assistant for the Faculty Senate in Fall 2016, and in early 2017 was promoted to his current role as the Secretary to the Faculty Senate. He supports the Faculty Senate and Faculty Assembly, which involves everything from managing the Senate's budget, website and newsletter to serving the many and varying needs of Faculty Senate leadership and the 99 elected senators from every department of the University. "From palliative care physicians to mechanical engineers to philosophers, I’ve become friends with and learned so much from the astounding, brilliant faculty at Northwestern," he said.
Given your job, staying organized must be essential. What is your favorite tool or tip for keeping on top of everything?
The past few years we’ve utilized a “Working Files” folder for draft agendas, slides decks, messaging to the broader community, you name it. It’s been an invaluable time-saver. Working collaboratively in OneDrive is so much more efficient than back and forth emails.
What were your interests growing up — do you think they are at all connected to what you do now?
Sports dominated my life from the moment I could throw a ball. I’m currently on a men’s baseball team and am a huge St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs fan. It wasn’t until my early 20s, when I finished community college and transferred to a larger school, that I began to see and appreciate the transformative power of education. My purpose at Northwestern is to ensure faculty can produce and share such knowledge with the world.
What is something fun or interesting about you that people may not know?
I am a fiction writer. I’m finishing up a thematically linked short story collection titled Substance. It explores masculinity and the ways temptation and addiction can alter lives. Small celebratory note: I’ll graduate with my MFA from Northwestern this June.
Congratulations are in order!
Debbie Crimmins received the Distinguished Service Award on April 29 during the 2025 annual meeting of the Association of American Universities Data Exchange. She was the unanimous choice of the award committee because of her "sustained and dedicated efforts in leadership and service on behalf of the universities participating in the data exchange."
Four Global Learning Office staff members were elected to leadership roles at International Educators of Illinois, which promotes and supports the professional development of individuals in the field of international education: Carmen Hernandez, Laura Johnson, Jacob Schoofs and Kevin Tribe.
Brag about your teammates! We feature one staff member in each newsletter. Nominate someone by emailing the Office of the Provost and telling us, in a sentence or two, how your colleague contributes to Northwestern’s mission and why everyone in the Office of the Provost should get to know them.
Staff who joined the Office of the Provost in April
University Registrar
- Ayodele Bond, Business Systems Analyst Associate
|