For a man who has guided Duke's academic reputation through its meteoric rise in the past 10 years, Peter Lange shows no sign of slowing down.
In fact, the provost-the University's chief academic officer-is likely to continue his tenure for another five years to become the longest-serving provost in Duke's history.
Although only the Board of Trustees may reappoint a top administrator, President Richard Brodhead's recommendation to reappoint Lange-announced Tuesday-practically guarantees the provost's contract extension, said Geoffrey Mock, manager of internal communications at the Office of News and Communications.
The Trustees will meet in May to discuss Lange's reappointment.
Brodhead's endorsement concludes several months of work by a 10-person review committee, including administrators, faculty members and one trustee. The group convened in January and delivered its confidential report to Brodhead March 26.
"It's really designed to help the officer do his or her job better," said John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations. "The idea is to get a candid appraisal."
For three months, the committee solicited comments about Lange from the Duke community. Burness said the committee interviewed approximately 75 people and received about 125 comments total in the review.
Since his promotion to the position from chair of the Department of Political Science in 1999, Lange has spearheaded large-scale programs-including two strategic plans-for the University as chief academic officer.
Lange said his primary goals for the University have been to focus on strategic planning, build up interdisciplinarity and hire accomplished deans.
"[The provost] contributes to Duke's vision and leads the effort to make the vision real," he said. "One of the most distinctive things about strategic planning at Duke is that not only do we plan and set priorities, but we're able to deliver on them because of how we do the plan and the resources we put behind it."
The 2001 strategic plan "Building on Excellence" and the 2006 strategic plan "Making a Difference" have set an academic vision for Duke in emphasizing internationalization, interdisciplinarity and knowledge in the service of society.
The interdisciplinarity theme has underlined many of the University's initiatives, Lange said. He pointed to comprehensive facility improvements-including the development of the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences, the French Family Science Center and Bostock Library-as evidence of the University putting money behind ideas.
"[Lange] has a very clear vision for how to move academic programs at Duke forward and is very effective in working with others in his leadership role to implement that vision," said Susan Roth, vice provost for interdisciplinary studies.
Other administrators also lauded Lange's ability to be both visionary and practical.
"Provost Lange is unique in that he combines vision and really good management skills-you don't always find those two things coming together," Director of DukeEngage Eric Mlyn said. "He can fly at 30,000 feet and can get into the nitty-gritty details."
Dean of Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki said because of Lange's intimate knowledge of Duke, he is capable of micromanaging but instead gives deans and faculty members space to accomplish their goals.
"The provost is an extraordinary asset for Duke," said Gilbert Merkx, vice provost for international affairs. "He has an extremely high energy level, a zest for work... and he's never content with the way things are-he's always looking for a way to make things better."
Looking forward, Lange said he hopes to push Duke's internationalization and further cultivate an entrepreneurial atmosphere.
He added that he finds Duke's potential to innovate and "start new things" especially exhilarating.
"I've wanted to capture and lead those qualities of Duke which I think are special-that innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, that willingness to experiment and that enabling culture which says, 'Come here, and we'll help you accomplish the great things you want to do,'" Lange said.
Several administrators praised Brodhead's recommendation to extend Lange's tenure.
"There is an enormous amount of loyalty from the vice provosts toward Peter," Roth said. "We're all thrilled he's going to be taking another term."
As potentially the longest-running provost in the University's history, Lange shows no sign of backing off his commitment to advancing Duke's academic profile.
"I just absolutely love my job," he said. "Its one of the greatest jobs you can have."
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