“Our faculty have such an immensely positive impact on everything we do here at Vanderbilt—faculty success is vital to our university’s mission,” Provost C. Cybele Raver said. “We are deeply committed to supporting this vibrant community through a leadership team that is largely comprised of faculty. In their new appointments as associate provosts, I am confident Alan Wiseman and Catherine Gavin Loss will work tirelessly on behalf of their peers.”
Wiseman, an acclaimed political economist, was appointed associate provost for strategic projects and Gavin Loss, scholar of education history and policy, was appointed associate provost for academic affairs. Both will serve two-year terms within the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Education, with Wiseman’s appointment effective with the 2024–25 academic year and Gavin Loss’ appointment effective on Jan. 1, 2025.
Wiseman and Gavin Loss join faculty peers across the Office of the Provost who uphold Provost Raver’s commitment to faculty governance in key administrative functions like professional development, teaching support, tenure and promotion review, discipline and grievances. Many of these functions are overseen by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education Tracey George.
“The Office of Faculty Affairs is first and foremost a service area devoted to the success and advancement of Vanderbilt’s faculty,” George said. “As associate provosts, Alan Wiseman and Catherine Gavin Loss will serve as strong advocates for their faculty peers, collaborating across the office to ensure the best possible outcomes for Vanderbilt’s faculty.”
Wiseman is tasked with identifying and facilitating opportunities to support Vanderbilt’s relationships with national and international policymakers, collaborating with deans and other leaders to support and strengthen professional education programs, and identifying new opportunities for undergraduate engagement in federal government and policymaking in Washington, D.C. He will also leverage his extensive faculty experience to lead reviews of external academic programs, working in close collaboration with the Office of Academic Program Review, Assessment and Accreditation.
As associate provost for academic affairs, Gavin Loss will oversee the Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education, collaborating closely with the directors of the Office of Educational Design and Development and the Office of Learning Innovation. She will also oversee new faculty onboarding, development and advancement across all ranks and serve as the primary point of contact for deans, faculty and the provost for topics and projects under AdvancED purview.
A driving force for effective governance
Alan Wiseman is a noted political scientist and leading scholar on legislative effectiveness. He is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Economy, professor of political science and law and the former chair of the Department of Political Science. After earning his M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, Wiseman served on the faculty of Ohio State University before coming to Vanderbilt in 2010. He has also served as visiting scholar for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and visiting associate professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In addition to his appointment as associate provost, he is co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
Throughout his career, Wiseman has worked to understand and illuminate the machinations of American political institutions and positive political economy. His scholarship explores legislative politics, regulation and bureaucratic policymaking, and business-government relations. He is the author of two books, and his work has been published in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly and the Journal of Theoretical Politics. His current focus is exploring the causes and consequences of legislative effectiveness through his work at the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
“Vanderbilt provides truly unique opportunities for its faculty and students, and it is growing in amazing ways to establish itself as one of the best places in the world to engage with scholars who are at the absolute cutting-edge of their disciplines,” Wiseman said. “I’m excited to be joining OFAPE and to be part of the team that will be shaping Vanderbilt’s agenda and its impact on our local, national and global communities for years to come.”
A proven champion of faculty and students
Gavin Loss is an esteemed teacher, a respected scholar and an experienced administrator. After earning her M.A. from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, she joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2008. She is an associate professor of the practice in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, where she previously served as associate department chair. She teaches courses on the history of education and education policy, and she is an award-winning mentor to students.
Gavin Loss joins the Office of the Provost after serving as Peabody College’s senior associate dean for academic affairs and professional education. An immensely effective administrator, Gavin Loss oversaw academic affairs and services, curriculum planning and new program development, and strategic academic initiatives and special projects at one of the world’s leading colleges of education and human development. She brings the same expertise to OFAPE, where she will support new and existing professional education programs and AdvancED.
“It’s an exciting time in higher education and at Vanderbilt in particular,” Gavin Loss said. “I am honored to join this outstanding team and look forward to working with faculty, staff, students and campus leaders to advance our shared academic mission.”
