Strauss named executive associate provost

Longtime School of Dentistry faculty member Ronald Strauss has been named the University’s executive associate provost effective Sept. 1.

Since he came to Carolina in 1974, Strauss has focused on helping dental health professionals understand and address the environmental factors that influence oral health and the provision of dental care.

He holds joint appointments in three schools. He is Dental Friends Distinguished Professor and Chair in the School of Dentistry’s Department of Dental Ecology, professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Social Medicine and clinical professor in the School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology.

For the past 31 years, Strauss has also been the dental director of the UNC Craniofacial Center. There, he serves as a general dentist in practice for an interdisciplinary health team that addresses craniofacial conditions, including the care of cleft palate, craniofacial prosthetic management and speech appliances.

In addition, he is a research fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and the director of the Office of Community Outreach, Dissemination and Education of the UNC Center for AIDS Research.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Dr. Strauss’s standing in the academic and health-care communities assume this vital University role,” said Bernadette Gray-Little, executive vice chancellor and provost, in an e-mail announcing the appointment.

As executive associate provost, he will work closely with the Deans’ Council in overseeing many of the University’s core functions, particularly those involving academic personnel and interdisciplinary initiatives, she said.

Among other responsibilities, Strauss will be liaison to the Appointment, Promotion and Tenure Committee and chair of the Health Sciences Advisory Committee, Enrollment Policy Advisory Committee, Commencement Committee, Distinguished Chairs Selection Committee and others.

Strauss's research has focused on the social impact of chronic health problems, especially dental conditions, craniofacial anomalies and HIV/AIDS. His work combines his clinical, social science, ethical and health policy interests as they relate to craniofacial surgery, fetal surgery, aging, developmental disabilities, prenatal diagnosis and quality assurance.

Public service also has been a hallmark of his career. A 1978 recipient of the School of Dentistry Community Mentor Teaching Award, he was a lead faculty member on the inaugural UNC Faculty Engaged Scholars Program of the Carolina Center for Public Service at the beginning of this year.

In recognition of the scope and impact of Strauss’s work, dental alumni endowed the Dr. Ronald P. Strauss Community and International Health Award to support students’ understanding of the social and cultural influences on health care.

He served as president of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association and received both its Distinguished Service Award and the Honors of the Association.

Strauss holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Queens College and three degrees from the University of Pennsylvania: a doctor of dental medicine degree and master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology. 

Joe Templeton, chair of the faculty, led the 10-member search committee for the executive associate provost position.

Harris earns inaugural George H. Johnson Prize Photo by Steve Exum

Trudier Harris, the J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of English, has been awarded the first George H. Johnson Prize for Distinguished Achievement by an Institute for the Arts and Humanities (IAH) Fellow.

The IAH created the prize to honor Johnson, of Atlanta, a longtime supporter of Carolina and the institute. It is intended to recognize “exemplary contributions by faculty in the arts, humanities or qualitative social sciences.”

Director John McGowan said the prize is similar to a lifetime achievement award. “It was in the spirit of George, who has given so selflessly, that we wanted also to honor faculty who have given over their lifetime to Carolina and made this a better place,” McGowan said.

McGowan described Harris as a true leader. “Trudier has been a pioneer throughout her life,” he said, “as a student, a teacher and a scholar.”

She has published groundbreaking research in African-American literature and folklore, including a study of lynching and a book on the portrayal of African-American women in literature. McGowan described Harris’ work editing and promoting anthologies in African-American and Southern literature as tireless.

Since joining the English department in 1979, Harris has accumulated a wealth of honors and awards. In 2005, for example, she received the UNC System Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is presented each year to one faculty member at each of the UNC system schools.

A member of the inaugural class of IAH Leadership Fellows in spring 2002, Harris also participated in the Faculty Fellows Program in fall 2002.

The biennial award, dedicated to Johnson in September 2007, provides recipients $7,500 and a banquet in their honor.

Honors