Deputy Provost Clelland will retire at end of year

A search committee will be appointed by the end of the week to find a replacement for Deputy Provost Richard Clelland, who will retire in June. Clelland is retiring from his post as one of the provost's top staff members because he is turning 70 years old and University policy requires him to do so. Clelland, who has served as the top advisor to the provost since 1982, has been at the University since 1953 when he began working for a PhD in statistics. He was hired as an assistant statistics professor immediately after he got his degree, and quickly rose through the department, becoming chair in 1966. Clelland also served as acting dean of the Wharton School in 1971 and 1972, and was Associate Dean from 1975 through 1981. One of Clelland's colleagues praised him yesterday for being a voice of calm and reason even in the midst of a storm. "He is a very wise man, very unflappable," said Linda Koons, the assistant to the provost. "He gives sage advice and doesn't panic." "Things just don't cause him to get upset because he has seen them so many times," Koons added. The deputy provost is responsible for all faculty matters including appointments, grievances, benefits, promotions and tenure cases. He has also served on the Council of Graduate Deans and worked on the provost's comprehensive Five-Year Plan. Another responsibility for the deputy provost is to act for the provost in his absence and work with the Institute for Contemporary Art and the Morris Arboretum. Clelland said he plans to travel, write, and do "a lot of enjoying myself" after he retires. The search committee to find Clelland's replacement will consist of eight faculty and two students and should be appointed by the end of the week, Koons said. Koons said Edward Bowman, Wharton's deputy dean of academic affairs, will chair the committee.

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