Meet Sally Kornbluth: the first female provost

This is one entry of the "Ten People to Watch" list in July's Towerview.

At a time where Duke is undergoing several administrative changes and opening its first campus abroad, Sally Kornbluth may just have the most important job on campus.

As provost, Kornbluth is responsible for all academic activities of the University. She oversees classes, looks at how student life meshes with academics and interacts with all of the deans in each of the different schools to "ensure a smooth student experience."

Kornbluth said she would like to look at ways different schools can work together "to create new synergies."

When asked her goals for Duke Kunshan University, she said she still needs time to observe it as provost before making an agenda.

"I think that I'm going to be mostly learning about it, I don't feel I can make any big pronouncements at this point," she said. "What is important is to have high-quality educational program that benefits in both directions."

Kornbluth will succeed Peter Lange, who had served as provost for 15 years and will step down July 1. Prior to being named provost, Kornbluth was the James B. Duke Professor of pharmocalogy and cancer biology. She has been a faculty member at Duke since 1994 and served as vice dean for basic science since 2006.