Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 3, Page 11 Spring 1994 Melvyn D. Schiavelli named new provost Melvyn D. Schiavelli, former Chancellor Professor of Chemistry, former provost and former interim president at the College of William and Mary, is the University of Delaware's new provost. Schiavelli, 51, also has been appointed a tenured professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, a recognition taken upon vote of the department faculty. "The clear consensus view of our campus is that Mel Schiavelli should serve as University provost," President David P. Roselle said when announcing his appointment. "Indeed, his appointment was urged by unanimous vote of the members of the search committee in attendance at their final meeting, by unanimous vote of the academic deans who attended a meeting to discuss the candidates, by unanimous support of the vice presidents and members of the provost's staff and by the overwhelmingly favorable comments forwarded to the search committee and to me from a broad cross-section of the University community. Accordingly, I was pleased to join with the majority and also make him my first choice for the position." In the search committee's recommendation to the president, chair Daniel Rich, dean of the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, wrote: "Members of the search committee and many others sensed in Dr. Schiavelli a deep commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service; to responsiveness to the educational needs of both undergraduate and graduate students; and to the continued development of a talented and dynamic faculty." In all, three finalists were selected from 175 candidates for the provost position, and they visited the campus in the spring, each meeting over two days with individuals and groups representing faculty, staff and students. The search committee, Rich said, was "impressed with Dr. Schiavelli's exceptional insight and his good sense, as well as his intelligence. We are equally impressed by his personal qualities and excellent interpersonal skills. His warmth, even temperament and sense of humor, diplomatic and consensus-building abilities and empathic qualities were well-recognized and appreciated by the diverse constituencies that comprise our community." As provost, Schiavelli serves as the University's chief academic officer and provide academic leadership for 10 colleges as well as research, extension programs, graduate studies, continuing education, the library, international programs and several interdisciplinary research centers and academic support units, including admissions and financial aid. Schiavelli had been at the College of William and Mary since 1968, serving over the years as provost, interim president, dean of the faculty of arts and sciences and chairperson of the department of chemistry. The college enrolls 5,300 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students in a full-time, primarily residential setting in Williamsburg, Va. At William and Mary, Schiavelli was responsible for strengthening graduate education, including the introduction of new doctoral programs, establishing an endowed center for interdisciplinary curriculum development, expanding study-abroad programs, enhancing the writing program, introducing new international studies initiatives, improving the admissions and advisement systems and implementing new programs to encourage undergraduate research activity in the humanities and social sciences. As provost and chief academic officer there, he was responsible for an annual budget of $136 million. In addition, he was responsible for the creation of a faculty senate model of governance, strengthening the library and enhancing faculty programs of summer research grants and sabbatical leaves. As interim president, he guided a $150 million capital Campaign for the Fourth Century. Co-author of numerous articles and chapters in scholarly journals and books, he has received several research grants and has given many presentations and talks at other universities in America and abroad on his research in organic chemistry. Schiavelli served for several years as a member of the Instructional Programs Advisory Committee of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and chaired the Virginia Task Force on Career Planning and Placement for Undergraduates. Among his many awards are the College of William and Mary Thomas Jefferson Award, DePaul University Distinguished Alumni Award and Phi Beta Kappa Faculty Award for the Advancement of Scholarship. A native of Chicago, Schiavelli holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from DePaul University and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. A visiting lecturer and a senior research fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and a visiting professor at the University of Utah, Schiavelli was a research associate at Michigan State, and he received fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry in London and the Sigma Xi research honorary, and he is a trustee of the Southeastern Universities Research Association. Schiavelli and his wife, Virginia, have two children.