W. Kent Fuchs, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who has served as dean of the Engineering college since he came to Cornell in 2002, has been named the University’s new provost. The appointment continues Cornell’s longstanding tradition of hiring its chief academic officer from within. “He is a strong and respected administrator who has led the Engineering college with foresight, vitality, and innovation—attributes he will bring to his new appointment,” says President David Skorton.
Fuchs, who takes office January 1, came to Ithaca from Purdue University, where he headed the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He holds an undergraduate degree from Duke, a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, and a master’s of divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. “We are blessed with wonderful leadership across the University,” Fuchs says, “and I will devote all my energy and time to helping those leaders enhance Cornell’s stature, scholarship, and teaching.” Fuchs succeeds Biddy Martin, Cornell’s longest-serving provost, who was in the post for eight years before leaving last summer to become chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
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