President-elect Joel Seligman plans to consult with the College's senior deans and other academic leaders concerning College leadership following the appointment of Dean of the College Faculty Thomas J. LeBlanc as executive vice president and provost of the University of Miami.
LeBlanc's appointment, announced today (see www.miami.edu), is effective July 1.
As Vice Provost and Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the College Faculty at the University of Rochester, LeBlanc is the chief academic officer of the College. He has been responsible for its faculty, academic departments and programs, teaching and research facilities, budget, and resources. A faculty member since 1983 in the Department of Computer Science, LeBlanc began serving as dean in the 1996-97 year.
"Tom LeBlanc has been at Rochester more than 20 years, the last nine of them as vice provost and dean of the College faculty," said President Thomas H. Jackson. "We are deeply in his debt for his superb leadership at the University during sometimes difficult but, as importantly, transformational times. The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering today is significantly better on almost every important dimension than when Tom LeBlanc assumed office, and a great deal of those changes are due to Tom's vision, skill, and assembled team. We will miss him, but we wish him the very best for this pivotal position at the University of Miami and know that he will provide Miami with inspired senior academic leadership and direction."
"Tom LeBlanc has assembled an outstanding senior leadership team at the College, as well as outstanding department chairs. I intend to run an open and consultative process that will seek their advice on Tom's successor," President-elect Seligman said. "Like Tom Jackson, I applaud Tom LeBlanc for the inspired leadership he has provided the College. His legacy is a strong school with outstanding scholars, a nationally-recognized curriculum, and great leaders. I look forward to building on what he has accomplished. He deserves all of our best wishes and gratitude for the wonderful service he has provided to the University of Rochester."
"I will deeply miss all of my friends and colleagues here, but I'm pleased to be moving to the next step in my own career when the College is in such good hands," LeBlanc said. "I cannot say enough about the distinction of our faculty and I am very grateful for the wonderful support I have had not only from President Jackson and Provost Phelps, but also from the incredibly talented members of the Dean's Office, all of whom have been instrumental in the success of the College.
"I regret that I won't have the chance to work with President-elect Seligman, but the University of Miami provides an opportunity that is impossible for me to pass up," he added.
More information about the vice provost search is available online at www.rochester.edu/provost/deansearch.html