The Chronicle
PAGE 6 � WEDNESDAY, JULY 18,2001
New med school dean gets to work Keohane Dr. Sandy Williams says he will first concentrate on filling five empty department chairs By MATT BRUMM The Chronicle
Dr. Sandy Williams cannot seem to stay away from Duke. After graduating from the School of Medicine in 1974, he returned to his alma mater twice to serve on the faculty. Now, Williams has been lured back to Duke once again—but this time he has hung up his lab coat and moved into the dean’s office. As dean of the medical school, Williams began on July 1 the third phase ofhis attempt at a “triple threat” career: excelling in clinical work, research and education. “The conventional wisdom is that no one can be a triple threat anymore,” Williams said. “I take exception to that.... You just can’t do them all at the same time. If I can do this well, as I hope, it would mean that I really am a triple threat.” Beginning his focus on medical education, Williams will prioritize in his first few months the business that stalled in the absence of a permanent dean, including filling department chairs in five areas and informally reviewing the operations of each department in the medical school. “Recruiting will be high up [on] the list; second is to make things run better,”Williams said. “A fresh look by a new leader, I hope, will reveal some things where we can correct problems and make those things run better.” Although Duke continually ranks among the top medical schools in the nation, Williams said there is a constant challenge to improve, and his experience as a physician-scientist gives him a clear perspective on solving problems. “The deficiencies ofcurrent medicine hit you right in the face,” Williams said, adding that progress comes only through the process ofresearch and sci-
entific discovery. This philosophy is reflected in the medical school’s unique third-year curriculum, where students may focus their time on independent research—a concept Williams said is essential to maintain.
Williams will also try to increase fed-
recommits to financial aid By KEVIN LEES The Chronicle
Two weeks ago, President Nan Keohane joined 27 other university executives in reaffirming a commitment to need-based financial aid. The commitment comes in the midst of a debate nationally and at Duke over how to equitably determine financial aid. The 568 Presidents’ Working Group, formed in early 1999, endorsed a set of principles to regulate the future ofneedbased aid and focused on ensuring equalTHAD PARSONS/THE CHRONICLE
DR. SANDY WILLIAMS, the new dean of the School of Medicine, is still decorating his office
dean after Dr. Edward Holmes left Duke to lead the University of California at San Diego’s medical school. Dr. Ralph Snyderman, chancellor of health affairs, who served as interim dean ofthe medical school, announced Williams’ selection in April. Before becoming dean, Williams was a professor and chief of cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He has more than 150 medical and scientific publications and holds five patents for his work. Holmes said Duke was lucky to find such an accomplished physician and researcher to fill his old position. “He brings to Duke the background of
eral funding for basic science and clinical research from the National Institutes of Health. He said that although the nation has recently experienced an
expansionary period for biomedical sciences, Duke’s funding should have grown more than it has. He also noted that its total number of investigators has decreased over the past few years. To counter this trend, Williams said he will recruit new scientists and take advantage of multidisciplinary grants. “I
believe research support works best when scientists have some grants that are unique to them alone, but I think it’s good to work in teams,” Williams said. Williams will have to make significant decisions for the new Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy by recruit-
someone who is one of the premiere medical scholars in the nation,” Holmes said. “He knows the institution and he has a lot ofaffection for Duke.” Williams said that at first, the decision to give up his occupation as a medical scientist and transition to the third phase of his triple threat career was not an easy one, but his anxiety
ing faculty, and selecting model organisms for human disease research. “We want to vault to the very top,” Williams said about Duke’s genomics program. “That’s the kind of distinction we’re seeking.” Williams said that the success of the institute should be measured in judging his term as dean.
lessened. “At the point that the actual offer came, it was very, very easy,” said
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ity and providing clarity. “I think that there’s been real confusion about financial aid from campus to campus,” said Jim Belvin, Duke’s direc-
tor of financial aid. Belvin chaired the committee that developed the report; he is also one of four financial aid directors involved with updating national standards. The presidents agreed to several principles; that parents and students have the primary responsibility to pay educa-
tional expenses before an institution
awards financial aid; that institutions should evaluate both income and assets; that “professional judgment” by financial aid officers—recognizing unique or extenuating financial circumstances in individual cases—is not the “proper mechanism” for advancing institutional objectives; and that each institution should inform applicants about its policies and practices. “The need for further education beyond high school has never been more important than it is today” said Cornell University President Hunter Rawlings, who chairs the presidents’ working group. “Increasingly, however, there is ev-
idence that students and their parents are confused by the substantial disparities—in the reports they receive from financial aid experts at different campusSee FINANCIAL AD) on page
37
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