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| Dear AU Community,
With appreciation for his impactful contributions and service across many areas of American University, I am announcing today that Seth Grossman, vice president of administration and chief administrative officer, will be leaving at the end of April to become the vice president, chief operating officer, and senior advisor to the president at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the largest private biomedical research institution in the nation.
Seth joined AU in December 2017 as chief of staff and counselor to the president. He was instrumental in the development of the Changemakers for a Changing World strategic plan and led the campus-wide implementation efforts over the past five years. As noted in the recent report Five Years of Impact: A Look at AU’s Changemaking Work, the strategic plan significantly moved the university forward across the three pillars of research, learning, and community. Seth’s ability to connect across the different strategic imperatives and support the interconnected workstreams helped make these meaningful and sustainable strategic achievements possible.
In 2021, the People and External Affairs division was formally organized under Seth’s leadership, bringing together core functions including Human Resources, the Office of Equity and Title IX, WAMU, and Community and Government Relations. In 2023, Seth became AU’s vice president of administration and chief administrative officer, building on his successful leadership and adding the AU Museum to his portfolio. This evolution supported the impactful work of our arts center and furthered connections between the museum and both the university and the greater Washington, DC, community.
One of the major accomplishments of Seth’s leadership was development of the 2021 Campus Plan and the unanimous DC Zoning Commission approval of this 10-year roadmap for our campus. The plan creates the opportunity to continue developing the spaces and places that support our mission and our students. We are already seeing the impact of the campus plan, with the completion of the Jacobs Field sound wall and the groundbreaking for the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance. The Meltzer Center is a key piece of the $109 million investment in the Student Thriving Complex, the largest investment in student thriving in the university’s history. The foundation of this successful work was creation of the AU Neighborhood Partnership, which Seth chaired in partnership with AU community leaders, and a new era of cooperation with the neighborhood around our campus, DC government leaders, and partners across the DC region.
With a deep focus on supporting our people, Seth’s collaboration with the Human Resources team produced numerous transformations of How AU Works––centering the needs of our team while implementing key reforms to strengthen our processes and operations. Seth was central to building our hybrid workplace approach post-COVID. Enhancing the employee onboarding process, creating professional and personal development opportunities through the Supervisor Academy, and expanding AU wellness programs provided important and effective support for our staff and faculty.
Seth also provided strategic guidance and support as WAMU navigated the changing landscape of public media, advanced its mission as a leading source of news and information in the Washington, DC, region, and ranked as the #1 radio station in the DC metro market for 24 consecutive months (going back to January 2022). Additionally, Seth served as a faculty member in the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public Affairs (SPA) and taught courses on constitutional and administrative law, the federal regulatory process, homeland security, and immigration at SPA and the Washington College of Law.
Over the last six years, Seth has been a great partner to me and his colleagues. He dives in with both feet and finds clarity and a path forward no matter the complexity of the challenge. Seth’s vision, partnership, and determination will be missed across campus. We are fortunate to have strong leaders who will effectively carry forward the areas Seth currently directs when he concludes his time at AU. On an interim basis, Sarah Baldassaro will assume oversight for the ongoing strategy implementation, WAMU, and the AU Museum; Matt Bennett will take on Community and Government Relations; and Bronté Burleigh-Jones will lead Human Resources. Once President Alger joins the university in July, he will work with the cabinet and other community leaders and members to determine the permanent reporting structures for these areas. Over the next few months, Sarah Baldassaro will coordinate the transition with President Alger to help prepare for his arrival this summer. Thank you to Sarah, Matt, and Bronté for their leadership and their engagement in these critical areas.
Please join me in thanking Seth for his extensive contributions to so many parts of American University. We will have a proper celebration for Seth before the conclusion of the semester.
Onward,
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| Sylvia M. Burwell
President, American University
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