Emory University President Claire E. Sterk today announced two key university leadership appointments.
“I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Dwight A. McBride, PhD, as provost and executive vice president of academic affairs as well as the appointment of Christopher Augostini as executive vice president for business and administration,” says Sterk.
“These two appointments will build upon Emory’s exceptional leadership team. We look forward to working with Dwight and Chris, whose leadership and vision will help Emory realize its bold ambitions now and well into the future,” says Sterk. “Dwight and Chris share a passion for academic excellence and a compelling vision for Emory’s future, its faculty, students and staff. I would like to thank the search committees for their hard work and dedication in this process.”
Dwight A. McBride, PhD, will begin his tenure at Emory on July 1, 2017. Reporting to Sterk, McBride will serve as Emory’s chief academic officer, directing and collaborating with deans from each of Emory’s nine schools and colleges, with an emphasis on academic excellence and inclusivity.
In addition, McBride will direct leadership of the Michael C. Carlos Museum, the Center for Ethics, and the Woodruff Library, as well as Emory’s other libraries. He also will oversee Emory's strategic planning, including global strategies, university budgeting and other matters related to academic affairs.
“I’m thrilled and deeply humbled to be selected as Emory University’s next provost,” McBride says. “I’ve long been impressed with Emory and its reputation for research, clinical and teaching excellence. And throughout this search process with each successive visit to Atlanta and to campus, I fell a bit more in love with the institution and the incredible aspirations its constituents have for its future.
"I am delighted to be joining Emory’s senior leadership team, and especially by the opportunity to work closely with President Sterk," he says. "Together, along with our faculty colleagues, we will ensure that Emory continues to advance its reputation for academic excellence.”
McBride joins Emory from Northwestern University where he currently serves as dean of the graduate school and associate provost for graduate education, as well as the Daniel Hale Williams Professor of African American Studies, English and Performance Studies.
During his time as dean and associate provost, The Graduate School made unprecedented progress in diversifying Northwestern’s PhD programs, oversaw a major increase to the base stipend rate and other forms of financial and academic support for PhD and MFA students, expanded professional development offerings for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and created the Office for Academic Affairs in The Graduate School, which is responsible for maintaining the excellence of the degree programs.
In addition, McBride expanded outreach efforts to create a greater sense of community among graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, established the Office of Diversity & Inclusion within the school, and significantly increased the number of training grants and other sources of external funding to support graduate students and postdocs.
McBride received his undergraduate degree in English and African American Studies from Princeton University. He earned his master’s and PhD in English from the University of California, Los Angeles. McBride previously served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh.
An award-winning author of numerous publications that examine connections between race theory, black studies and identity politics, McBride is the founder and co-editor of the James Baldwin Review. His work has received special citations from the Crompton-Noll Award Committee of the Modern Language Association, and his research has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
McBride has served on the executive committee of the Association of American Universities (AAU) Association of Graduate Schools; the board of directors of American Colleges & Universities; and the GRE Board, among others.
Emory’s search consultant was Heidrick & Struggles.
Christopher Augostini will begin his tenure as Emory’s executive vice president for business and administration on July 1, 2017. Augostini joins Emory from Georgetown University where he serves as senior vice president and chief operating officer.
Emory’s Business and Administration Division is a broad-based group of nearly 1,400 staff members dedicated to enabling Emory to achieve its vision and goals. The division is organized to support an environment that fosters excellence in people, facilities, infrastructure and financial resources.
In his position, Augostini will be responsible for Emory’s fiscal and administrative affairs. Reporting to Sterk, Augostini’s primary responsibilities include strategic financial planning and stewardship of Emory’s resources to support the academic and operational missions for the university.
He will provide leadership to the finance, endowment management, human resources, campus services and internal audit functions, business practice improvement and, in collaboration with the two other EVPs, will serve as primary senior executive for information technology services, research administration and compliance.
“I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to join such a strong leadership team,” says Augostini. “It is exciting to be joining Emory University at this moment in its history. I look forward to the opportunity to immerse myself in the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Emory.”
Augostini’s responsibilities at Georgetown University have included financial and operations leadership. In addition, he led Georgetown’s master planning process, which revitalized the university’s physical and technological infrastructure.
Working with faculty, staff, students and community leaders, Augostini led the first non-contested campuses planning process in Georgetown’s history.
During his tenure, Georgetown’s endowment has increased by 270 percent, its bond rating has been upgraded by both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s, and the university’s unrestricted resource base and operating positions have improved.
To strengthen the professional development and retention of the top administrative talent at Georgetown, Augostini established the Shaping and Advancing Georgetown Executives program, which equips participants with tools to advance within a climate of creativity and collaboration across units within the university.
Before joining Georgetown University, Augostini served as chief of staff to the first deputy mayor of the City of New York under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, as well as deputy budget director and director of intergovernmental affairs overseeing the city’s efforts in Washington, DC, and Albany, NY. He has served in numerous positions within New York State, including principal budget analyst for the NYS Ways and Means Committee and program analyst for the NYS Assembly Higher Education Committee.
Augostini holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in public affairs and policy from the State University of New York at Albany.
Emory’s search consultant was Neumann Executive Search.