When Provost Sol Gittleman came to Tufts, the bookstore was housed in the admissions office, South Hall and the campus center didn't exist, the dorms did not have Internet, and Dewick and Macphie were separate buildings. Gittleman has seen great changes and worked under numerous presidents during his 37-year tenure as professor, and when he steps down from his role at the end of the year, the administration will lose a provost who has served longer in one position than anyone in recent higher education.
Gittleman has served as a professor, department chair, and provost of Tufts, has been awarded many accolades, both on and off campus, and published numerous books. His work has garnered praise from administrators, faculty, and students alike, and he has the same sentiments about the Tufts community.
Tufts "is everything that we wanted. [My wife and I] wanted Boston; we wanted a small university where teaching was very important, and I could do my publishing the way I wanted," Gittleman said.
A New Jersey native and the son of immigrant parents, Gittleman has accomplished much in his career as both a student and an educator. He received a B.A from Drew University, a M.A. from Columbia University, and a Ph.D from the University of Michigan, and has been awarded honorary degrees from Hebrew College and Stonehill College. Gittleman has also taught at numerous universities but ultimately made Tufts his home in 1964.
Gittleman started off at the University of Michigan but decided he did not like being at a research university. After contacting 21 schools, he was offered a position as assistant professor of German at Mount Holyoke College. His time there, however, was short lived.
"Within a year, we knew it was too small and the wrong location," Gittleman said. He left Mount Holyoke for Tufts after two years there.
"We came here, thinking we would be here for a couple of years and it turned out to be 37," Gittleman said. After a short stint as associate professor of German, Gittleman was promoted to chairman of the department of German and Russian.
When first approached with the idea of department chairmanship, Gittleman was taken aback. "I was 31 years old, I wouldn't have known what to do if I fell over a hole," he said.
As one of the youngest members in a maturing department, Gittleman seized the opportunity to strengthen the program. "I had a major influence in the department, just in bringing Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Hebrew to the curriculum. Those were very exciting things to do," he said.
Gittleman sees his time as departmental chair as crucial to the development of a strong "second banana" language program.
"I'm very proud of that - personally one of my greatest accomplishments," Gittleman said. The fruits of his labor are apparent in the current strength of the German, Russian, and Asian Languages department.
After a 15-year tenure at a "very fulfilling" and "rewarding" departmental chair position, Gittleman was appointed provost and academic vice president by Jean Meyer in 1981. Though, at the time, Gittleman admitted that he barely knew what a "provost" was.
As provost, Gittleman is responsible for overseeing seven different Tufts schools, including the dental and medical schools in downtown Boston. All government-sponsored research activities and inter-school programs of the University are under Gittleman's watch. Gittleman plays many roles as administrator, grant writer, and spokesman in various situations, including alumni relations and the Board of Trustees.
"The job is only 50 years old about and was created when the presidency got too complicated outside," he said. "It is probably the most recent position in American higher education."
Gittleman has seen many changes at Tufts, including its elevation in rank and reputation. "When I came here in 1964, it was good. It was not, in my views, of any particular academic distinction. That has changed dramatically," Gittleman said.
Gittleman's role goes well beyond his duties as provost. He teaches the freshman-only English 2 class "Writing About Baseball," a course in which he is able to personally interact with students and teach them not only about the sport, but its relevance to life. In the past he has also taught classes ranging in topics from Hitler to Yiddish culture. Gittleman feels that this immersion in the everyday academia of the University is just another way in which he can stay in touch with every aspect of Tufts life.
"The faculty doesn't want administrators who just administer, the faculty wants administrators that do the same thing that they do and I knew that," Gittleman said. "When I took this job, I told President Meyer only if I can continue teaching - that will be the only way the faculty will respect me."
Gittleman reaches out to the student body out of the classroom and in his own home. For the past 19 years he has traditionally hosted Vienna tables in his home for the departing senior class - although this tradition may be put aside this year in order to allow President Bacow to host more senior events. The Gittleman family also hosts numerous other University events in their campus home, which is located adjacent to the bookstore.
"We have receptions in the house, we house guests in the house, trustees sometimes live in the house, so we use it as a University facility," Gittleman said.
Although Gittleman will no longer be an administrator, his relationship with Tufts will not end.
"Why would I give up my classes now that I have given up this [the position of [provost]? As long as I know I'm teaching well, I will continue teaching," Gittleman said.
While he plans continues to teach at the University, Gittleman does not have plans to return to administrative work.
