Change hangs heavy in the brisk Rochester air. UR’s top administration has experienced significant changes since the beginning of the semester, including the appointment of Robert Clark, Dean of Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Senior Vice President for Research, to the position of University Provost. Clark will be the University’s 10th provost, replacing current provost Peter Lennie.
We are excited to see Dean Clark fill this role. Under his leadership, the Hajim School has evolved into an academic powerhouse, with new and more rigorous programs.
Integration of Computer Science into the Hajim School was carried out under Clark. Research opportunities for undergraduate engineers have proliferated. Enrollment of aspiring engineers in the Hajim School has skyrocketed, doubling since his appointment to the deanship in 2008.
In the role of University Provost, a position focused primarily on academics and research, we expect Dean Clark to shine.
With his roaring successes in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) domain, we were interested in how Clark would address the humanities and social sciences.
We believe that he will rise to the challenge: the challenge of not only preserving the University’s preexisting humanities programs, but developing them alongside the STEM programs that have burgeoned under his leadership.
Humanistic inquiry is strong at UR, and we believe Clark recognizes that. In his speech following the announcement of his appointment as provost, Clark cited his own investment in the humanities not only as a musician but as an engineer, searching for ways to interweave the humanities with the sciences.
UR, particularly through its new Humanities Center and digital humanities initiatives, has worked to couple these two ordinarily disparate areas of study. We look forward to seeing what comes of this marriage.
