WM Picks Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Gene Tracy will serve as interim Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Starting July 1, Gene Tracy, the chancellor professor of physics, will step into the job vacated by current Dean of Arts and Sciences Carl Strikwerda, who is leaving William and Mary to become president of Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. The college will announce the formation of a search committee for a permanent replacement at the end of the spring semester.

“Gene’s broad knowledge of Arts and Sciences and of the college and his deep commitment to our special blend of liberal arts education, combined with his integrity and good judgment, will make him very effective in this new role,” said Michael Halleran, provost at William and Mary, in an e-mail to faculty.

Tracy came to William and Mary in 1984 as a plasma physicist, holding a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Maryland. His research has contributed to the algae biofuel collaborative that includes the Chesapeake Algae Project and to the field of bioinformatics. He has taught a wide range of courses for undergraduates and graduates and created and/or taught physics courses for non-majors.

In a press release, he noted that science is part of liberal arts because non-science majors learn that science is based on observation and measurement, and that it “embodies certain values, like free and open inquiry, that characterize liberal education.”

In his time at William and Mary, Tracy has held several administrative positions. He has served as director of Graduate Center Programs, interim Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, a member of the Arts & Sciences Faculty Affairs Committee, chair of the Educational Policy Committee, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and Chair of the Challenge 1 Subcommitee on William and Mary as a leading liberal arts university in the 21st century. Last year, he served one term as president of the William and Mary Faculty Assembly.

As Dean of Arts and Sciences, Tracy will oversee 378 faculty, 21 departments and 14 interdisciplinary programs serving 5,600 students. That includes 500 graduate students in six doctoral and 11 master’s degree programs.

“Gene Tracy is a dedicated, experienced faculty leader, an excellent scientist who is respected by his colleagues for his integrity and hard work,” Strikwerda said in a press release. “I am confident he will maintain the high academic standards and deep commitment to teaching and research which have long distinguished Arts and Sciences at the College of William and Mary.”