5:14 p.m., March 9, 2009----Dan Rich, provost at the University of Delaware since 2001 and a member of the University's faculty since 1970, announced at the March 9 meeting of the Faculty Senate that he will resign as provost, effective June 30. Rich will return to the faculty as University Professor of Public Policy in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

Succeeding him as provost will be Tom Apple, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. George Watson, deputy dean and senior associate dean of natural sciences and mathematics in the college, will serve as the college's interim dean. A national search for the next dean will begin this fall.

UD President Patrick Harker said, “Dan's extraordinary leadership has been instrumental in enhancing the University's academic programs and the caliber of its faculty and students. His service to the University is dedicated and distinguished, and I cannot overstate his role in UD's rising academic reputation.

“While I will certainly miss Dan's day-to-day work in the provost's office, I have asked that he continue to lead some important projects, such as strengthening the University's academic programs in Southern Delaware, and continuing our 'Creating Knowledge-Based Partnerships' conference series,” Harker said.

“Dan recommended Tom Apple as his successor, and I fully agree that Tom is the right choice,” said Harker. “I know the University as a whole will benefit from the same commitment and focus that have characterized Tom's leadership in the College of Arts and Sciences. The experience, expertise and continuity that Tom brings to the Office of the Provost will support continued progress on our Path to Prominence^TM.”

The provost is UD's chief academic officer, next in authority to the president. Among those reporting to the provost are the deans of the University's seven colleges and the director of the University library. The provost oversees instruction, research, public service programs, graduate studies, continuing education, international programs and student life.

“It has been a privilege to serve as provost, to bridge the transition in presidential leadership, and to help launch the University on its next stage of development,” said Rich. “My two decades in senior administration as dean and provost have been rewarding and personally satisfying. I have been fortunate to work with two outstanding presidents, Dave Roselle and Pat Harker, and to be a part of a remarkably talented and dedicated academic leadership team of deans, vice provosts, department chairs and many others.

“I look forward to returning to the faculty, and to working more closely with colleagues and students in teaching, research and public service,” Rich said. “I am very pleased that Tom Apple will be my successor, and I am confident that the continuous improvement of our academic programs will be sustained under Tom's leadership.”

Of the impending transition, Apple said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the great faculty of the University of Delaware on the Path to Prominence. This is a transformative time for the University as we embark on this exciting plan-a bold plan that was developed by the entire community. We are fortunate to have great leadership beginning with President Harker and his team. I have had the privilege of serving as dean under Provost Rich, and he has been a wonderful mentor and friend. I look forward to working with him in the future on many initiatives and to working with our great team of deans.”

Dan Rich

During Rich's eight-year tenure as provost, UD's full-time faculty has grown in number and diversity. The number of endowed professors has increased to more than 100, as has the number of faculty winning nationally competitive early career awards. Over that same time, undergraduates' academic qualifications and diversity have improved; the number of full-time graduate students has increased; the number of doctoral degrees awarded annually has climbed to 200; and external funding from grants and contracts has risen 50 percent.

Rich's tenure has been marked by such initiatives as the Commitment to Delawareans, a program that prepares Delaware high school students for admission to UD and supports them financially if they enroll; the introduction of a new first-year experience for undergraduates; the expansion of undergraduate research, service-learning, and study-abroad programs; the implementation of a redesign of general education; increased funding for graduate students; the development of new interdisciplinary degree programs; and the strengthening of partnerships with government, business, non-profit and educational institutions.

Before becoming provost, Rich was founding dean of the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy (1996-2001), and dean of the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy (1991-1996). He has held an honorary appointment as visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, has been a senior research associate in the University's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A recipient of a University excellence-in-teaching award, Rich is the author of 13 books and edited volumes and more than 100 articles, monographs and professional papers. Rich's public service contributions include work with Vision 2015 education reform and service on the boards of the Delaware Public Policy Institute, and Nemours Health and Prevention Services.

Rich holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Brooklyn College, a master's degree in public administration and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Tom Apple

Tom Apple has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since July 1, 2005.

A Delaware alumnus, Apple earned his doctorate in physical chemistry at UD in 1982, after completing his bachelor's degree in biology at Pennsylvania State University in 1976. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at Iowa State University from 1981-1983.

Apple was vice provost for administration at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from 2002-2005 and was dean of graduate education and professor of chemistry at Rensselaer from 2001-2005. Apple joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1991, chaired its Department of Chemistry from 1997-2001, and served as interim vice provost for institute diversity from 2002-2003. In 1996, he won the Rensselaer Trustees' Outstanding Teacher Award.

From 1987-1991, Apple was an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Nebraska and, from 1983-1987, an assistant professor. Apple won the university's Parents Association Teaching Award in 1990 and 1991.

Apple's research in zeolite materials and polymeric materials has been funded by 12 grants from the National Science Foundation, as well as support from the National Institutes of Health and others, and he is the author or coauthor of 55 articles in professional journals. His wife, Anne, earned her master's degree in chemistry at UD and her doctorate in veterinary medicine at Iowa State University.

Article by Nan Mulqueen
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson