Provost Steven Lerman today announced that Paul Schiff Berman will conclude his service as vice provost for online education and academic innovation in January 2016 after three years in the position. He will return full-time to the faculty of the George Washington University Law School, where he has continued to teach and pursue scholarly research.
"Paul has done a tremendous job at building GW's online portfolio, particularly in leading efforts to expand the quantity, quality, and diversity of our offerings," said Provost Steven Lerman. "I'm extremely grateful for his efforts over the past three years to help develop new and innovative courses, and look forward to his continued contributions to the university community as a member of the GW Law faculty."
Dr. Lerman noted that under Professor Berman's leadership, the university's efforts in online education have expanded significantly and the university now offers more than 100 online degree and certificate programs serving several thousand students annually. He oversaw the launch of three massive open online courses and spearheaded a university-wide strategic planning effort that resulted in the creation of the eDesign Shop, a comprehensive team of instructional designers, video technicians and animation specialists that works with faculty to develop and enhance online educational materials.
"I am very proud of all that we have accomplished over the past three years," Professor Berman said. "We have increased both the scope and quality of our online programs including a host of new master's programs recently launched or in development. We have built state-of-the-art course production capabilities and created core central support for designing, planning, budgeting, marketing and administering top-flight educational programs in an online format. Indeed, GW is now viewed nationwide as one of the leaders in high-quality online education. I commend President Knapp and Provost Lerman for having the vision to create this important university role, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to serve the university in this crucial strategic area."
Even while serving as vice provost, Professor Berman continued to teach and stayed active as a scholar. An expert on global legal pluralism, Berman published 10 articles and book chapters over the past three years and presented nearly 20 scholarly talks in Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and the United States.
"After eight years in university administration, I am excited to dive back into my teaching and research full time, and I have numerous projects that are waiting for me," Professor Berman said.