Julie Anne Hoff, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN, joined Rush University, where she serves as provost, senior vice president and the Robert C. and Naomi T. Borwell Presidential Professor. As part of the Healthy Conversations at Rush series, Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, president and chief academic officer of Rush University, chief clinical and academic officer and senior vice president of Rush University System for Health, and the James A. Campbell, MD, Presidential Chair, recently met with Dr. Hoff to discuss her role and hopes for the future. Dr. Hoff, a 1986 graduate of Rush University College of Nursing, expressed her excitement about returning to Rush and beginning this next chapter in her life.
What is a provost? What does your job entail?
When explaining my role to my children, I use an analogy. I have a son who’s a chef, so I say, “I’m kind of like the back of house.” Deans are the front of the house of the restaurant. They’re the ones who are customer-facing, managing students and faculty. My job as provost is to make sure everything in the back of the house is working — student affairs, faculty affairs, academic affairs, research affairs — so that faculty, students and deans can be successful. I’ve got my hands in the things that keep the university running. You want everything in place for the deans and their teams to meet the needs of learners.
What has been most exciting for you being back at Rush?
It is my utmost privilege to be back at Rush. Rush played a pivotal role in shaping my mindset toward nursing and the health professions. You attend an institution like Rush, where excellence is a part of the mission, and you don’t have to explain that.
How do you define excellence in your role?
Excellence is not only being excellent but also welcoming others to the table and helping them become all they can be. It means meeting people where they are, whether that’s in the classroom, lab, clinical settings or community. It’s leveraging opportunities but also listening.
This role is about being a facilitator and connector — helping people uncover their own answers and linking them to the right resources or relationships that move them forward.
What are some of the challenges you’re facing now? How are you approaching them as a leader?
Every day we show up to work, we need to remember that kindness goes a long way. We don’t know what anyone else has woken up to or faced on their way in.
I remember my very first day at Rush, walking into Student Affairs, they knew every single person’s name in my class. There was such a sense of belonging. We need to live the I CARE values and hold each other accountable to them.
Right now, I’m doing a lot of listening and assessing and really figuring out what needs to be done. Where are the gaps in our student affairs? What are the resources that we need? What’s being offered at the college level? What opportunities exist to reimagine university services in ways that amplify the strengths of each college while fostering greater collaboration, innovation and impact across Rush?
What does being a Rush alum mean to you in your new role as provost?
I am a proud alum of Rush University College of Nursing. I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and my experience as a student was rewarding. The strong foundation I received at Rush helped catapult my career, along with advanced health care degrees. Rush alumni are extraordinary. We have a deep commitment to the community we serve and play a critical role in the success and legacy of our university. As provost, I look forward to enhancing the student-to-alumni experience and educating students on the strong alumni community awaiting them upon graduation. My hope is that they will stay connected and engaged throughout life.
