There's a new executive vice president on campus and she's a familiar face. Patricia Campbell began her new position on Monday, replacing Steven Manos, who is retiring after working at Tufts since 1981.
"I've been at Tufts for 26 years and loved almost every minute," Manos said in an e-mail. "But I was ready to try some new things; my mind needed an airing out."
Campbell is no stranger to Tufts. She began serving as executive associate dean of the dental school in 1996 and also acted as temporary EAD of the Friedman school for a short period of time.
In addition, she received a master's degree in public health from the university in 2006 after spreading out her work on it for several years.
In her EAD jobs, she worked with school deans and was responsible for finding funds to implement academic goals.
As executive vice president, she will have many of the same interactions, as her job description puts her in charge of coordinating resources across all of Tufts' campuses.
But she is not yet sure what specific projects she will pursue.
"I think [it's] a little early to be articulating goals," she said.
Before working at Tufts, Campbell spent 20 years working in the New York public sector. During this time she held a number of titles, including director of budget studies for the state assembly's Ways and Means Committee and deputy commissioner for administration and finance for the state's Office of Mental Health.
After leaving Tufts, Campbell went to work for WGBH, a local public broadcasting station where she was the vice president for administration and finance.
In all of these jobs, she said she had "a similar constellation of responsibilities" and dealt with budgetary, financial, human resources, facilities and information technology issues.
Even during those busy years, she made time for volunteer trips to Africa as a dental assistant with Tufts faculty members.
"It has really reminded me of what I value, and these values are represented by Tufts," she said.
Campbell's appointment has gotten an enthusiastic response from the administration.
"She is smart, strategic, thoughtful, honest, fair, tough (when she needs to be) and has great people skills," University President Lawrence Bacow told the community in a July memo. "She knows Tufts, has an intimate knowledge of what it takes to make both a school and a university great, and has demonstrated her commitment to creating a diverse work environment where everyone is valued and where everyone can grow."
Manos agreed.
"She'll bring a love of Tufts, intelligence, energy, integrity, unquenchable enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to Tufts," he said.
Campbell said that she is happy to be back on campus.
"I am looking forward to being back at Tufts because of the people," she said. "While at Tufts I made many wonderful friends and worked with impressively talented people."
As for Manos, he plans to remain involved with the university after stepping down from his post.
Currently, he is teaching a stock investing course at the Experimental College. "It's still a kick to be around smart, motivated Tufts students," he said.
Bacow said that Manos was very effective in his position.
"Virtually everything great that has happened at Tufts during the last three decades has benefited from his expertise," Bacow said last month in a release to the faculty and staff. "He will be missed very much, and we wish him well in his future endeavors."
A celebration of Manos' career at Tufts will be held today at 4 p.m. in the Coolidge Room in Ballou Hall.
