American University President Sylvia Burwell announced in an email Friday that Vice President of Administration and Chief Administrative Officer Seth Grossman will be leaving the University at the end of April. The announcement marks the fourth member of Burwell’s presidential cabinet to exit in the last year.
Grossman will be the vice president, chief operating officer and senior advisor to the president at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, “the largest private biomedical research institution in the nation,” Burwell wrote.
He joined the University in December 2017 as chief of staff and counselor to the president.
Grossman contributed to the development and implementation of the University’s Changemakers for a Changing World strategic plan. He was also responsible for formally organizing the People and External Affairs division in 2021, which brought administrative departments including the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Equity and Title IX and WAMU under one umbrella, according to the email.
Grossman also led the 2021 Campus Plan, a 10-year roadmap for the campus that will help create spaces that support the university's mission and its students, according to the email. The plan saw the completion of the Jacobs Field sound barrier and the start of construction on the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance.
“Seth’s ability to connect across the different strategic imperatives and support the interconnected workstreams helped make these meaningful and sustainable strategic achievements possible,” Burwell wrote in the email.
Following Grossman’s departure from the University, Burwell said in the email Chief of Staff and Counselor to the President Sarah Baldassaro will assume oversight for the ongoing Changemakers plan, WAMU and the AU Museum. Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Matthew Bennett will lead the community and government relations offices; Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Treasurer Bronté Burleigh-Jones will lead the Office of Human Resources.
This article was edited by Tyler Davis, Abigail Turner and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks.
