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Northwestern Office of the Provost

Staff Newsletter | July 2026

Dear colleagues,  

 

It was a pleasure to join you for the spring All-Staff Meeting in June. As I mentioned during my on-stage chat with Jake Julia, the past several months of learning about the multifaceted behind-the-scenes work that happens across the Office of the Provost to support Northwestern’s academic enterprise has been eye-opening. Thank you for all your contributions to the University.  

 

One of the highlights of the All-Staff Meeting was seeing the camaraderie and your engaged, solutions-oriented mindset during the Staff Awards ceremony. From the heartfelt nominations to the talents, skills and creativity of the winners to the cheers and goodwill from colleagues in the audience, that event reminded me just how fortunate I am to join a group of people who hold such pride in their work, their co-workers and Northwestern itself.  

 

I am eager to be a part of this team, to hear from you and to continue the critical work of the Office of the Provost. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly with any ideas or initiatives you would like to discuss. 

 

Sincerely,  

 

Erik Luijten 
Provost
Liu-Wang Liming Professor

All about the staff

awardees smilingPhoto by Anthony McCray

 

Congratulations, Office of the Provost Staff Awards winners!

The winners of the annual Office of the Provost Staff Awards were announced during the June 10 Spring Quarter All-Staff Meeting. Nominated by Elizabeth Pardoe, Jason Kelly Roberts of the Office of Fellowships won the Community Award (shown second from left). Nominated by Stacey Kostell (not pictured), the Enrollment Analytics team, made up of (from left to right, starting with fourth from left) Michelle Comitor, Ben Yost, Jason Compton, Bob Henkins and Adam Allen, won the Innovation Award. They are shown with then-Provost Kathleen Hagerty and current Provost Erik Luijten. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to all who made nominations!

 

Welcome, Julie White!

Julie White joined the Office of the Provost on June 15 as Associate Provost for Administration, Finance and Facilities. Bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience in higher education administration, she previously served as Associate Dean of Administration, Finance, Facilities and Planning for the McCormick School of Engineering. Read more about Julie.

 

Meet Brisa Ruiz

 

woman

 

Brisa Ruiz joined Northwestern in January 2026. As a Health Professions Advisor, much of her work consists of meeting with undergraduate students to guide them with course planning, health profession career exploration and campus engagement. She also helps produce the Health Professions Advising newsletter.

 

What is your educational background? 

 

I have a master’s degree in college student personnel, and my undergraduate degree is in biology, so this role is the best of both worlds for me.

 

What is your unit doing that you are excited about?

 

We’re getting ready for our next cohort of NU-CAP participants for this upcoming academic year. Through NU-CAP, Northwestern undergraduate students are able to explore a career in medicine by shadowing a Northwestern Medicine physician. 

 

What is something fun or interesting about you that people may not know?

 

While currently on hiatus, I am a beekeeper! I first trained as a beekeeper my junior year of undergrad. I helped assemble the bee frames, dust bees with powdered sugar to check for mites and harvested honey. We bottled around 60 jars of honey to sell that summer. It was a labor-intensive and fun experience!  

 

Staff who joined or started new roles in Office of the Provost units in June

 

Financial Aid

  • Andrea Velazquez Duran, Assistant Director, Financial Aid, Chicago

 

Office of the Provost

  • Alyssa Hodges, Executive Assistant
  • Julie White, Associate Provost for Administration, Finance and Facilities

 

Undergraduate Research Office

  • Jaylene Vazquez, Program Coordinator

News, notes and need to know

Spotted at the June Coffee with Colleagues

 

smiling people

 

Ryan Radebaugh, Assistant Director of Student Services, Office of International Student and Scholar Services, and Constance Wright, Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education

 


peoplesmiling

 

Denise Miley, Data Quality Specialist, Undergraduate Admission, and Joy Liebman, Transfer Student Specialist, Undergraduate Admission

 

Performance Excellence (PEx) Timeline

The deadline for staff to submit a self-review in myHR Learn was May 20 and the deadline for supervisors to submit written reviews and assign ratings in myHR Learn was June 17. By July 29, supervisors will hold performance meetings, then release individual reviews and ratings. Visit the Business Hub for resources and guides.

  

In case you missed it

  • Mung Chiang officially started his Northwestern tenure as the University’s 18th president on July 1, devoting his first day to exploring campus and meeting with students, faculty and staff. 
  • Northwestern recently celebrated the service of employees who have worked at the University for a quarter to nearly half a century.
  • Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian and Dean of Libraries Xuemao Wang will step down at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
  • Dean of the Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Adrian Randolph will step down at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
  • Northwestern will provide funding to support a program that cultivates peace, builds strong relationships and enhances peer accountability in Evanston school districts.
  • View more news from around the University.

Mark Your Calendar

  • Sept. 7: Labor Day (University closed)
  • Sept. 15-22: Wildcat Welcome
  • Sept. 23: Fall Quarter classes begin  

 

More resources

 

Help us build future newsletters! If your unit is working on a project that is relevant to the entire Office of the Provost, or if you have awards, honors or accomplishments to share, send an email to officeoftheprovost@northwestern.edu.

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