Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University today announced the appointment of Dr. June R. Aprille as provost, the second highest ranking position at the 258-year old school. Aprille has been Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor of Biology at University of Richmond since 2001.
In making the announcement, president Kenneth P. Ruscio said, "June Aprille is a leader in higher education. An accomplished scientist and teacher, and an experienced provost, she is a proponent of the liberal arts and is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence. She will make an invaluable contribution to the future of the University."
"The unique opportunity to serve as provost at a venerable institution like W&L, with President Kenneth Ruscio at the helm and with a philosophy of education and a constellation of institutional characteristics that I value most, has captivated my imagination," said Aprille. "I am most excited to be given this opportunity."
Prior to moving to Richmond, Aprille was a teacher and an administrator at Tufts University. She joined Tufts as an Assistant Professor of Biology in 1977, was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1980 and to Professor in 1986. From 1987-2001 she held the Henry Bromfield Pearson Professor Chair in Natural Sciences. During her years at Tufts, she also served as an Assistant and then Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine. Dr. Aprille was Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Tufts from 1986-89 and then Vice Provost for the following two years.
"June's ability to deal with all academic disciplines was a major contribution," said Sol Gittleman, Provost Emeritus of Tufts University. "But, there were staff people, dining service personnel, grounds-keepers, and just plain folks who thought she was the most civilized person in the administration. She is down-to-earth, has an instinct for academic quality, loves students, is a gifted researcher and teacher. June Aprille was the best colleague I ever had."
Aprille's expertise in cellular metabolism has been applied to a broad range of interesting biological problems. In 2001, she was part of a team of biologists that reported on the mechanism by which fireflies control their precise flashing patterns. She has published extensively on biochemical and physiological mechanisms that are important in human development and held long-term affiliations as Lecturer on Biochemistry in Pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School, and as Consultant in Biochemistry in the Children's Service at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has published extensively and presented regularly at academic conferences and seminars.
Dr. Aprille earned her B.S. degree from Washington State University in zoology and her M.S. and Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She held postdoctoral fellowships in cellular biology at Illinois and then became an NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Developmental Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School (at Massachusetts General Hospital).
"In addition to her considerable teaching and research skills, June Aprille is a formidable champion of the type of liberal arts education that Washington and Lee University has honed over the two and a half centuries of its existence," said University Rector Philip W. Norwood. "It is an education that develops broad intellect and deep character. By words and deeds, she has demonstrated commitment to that model and she will prove the sort of leader that W&L requires for the 21st Century."
As Richmond's Provost, Aprille's initiatives led to a significant increase in the size of the tenure track faculty; built the quality, volume and visibility of student-faculty collaborative research; dedicated new resources for scholarly work that enriches teaching and mentoring; and resulted in a new financial aid program to increase accessibility to Richmond.
Aprille has also led the creation and implementation of Richmond's innovative diversity plan, Common Ground, and championed several new interdisciplinary initiatives (e.g. the Centre for Civic Engagement, the office of Institutional Research and Assessment, and the Richmond Research Institute). During her term as Provost, Richmond completed a $45 million science initiative which included a major building project, curriculum development and Richmond's first Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant for undergraduate science education.
"Dr. Aprille stood out among a rich pool of eminently qualified candidates, whom we identified through a national search," said Robert L. Danforth, W&L law professor and chair of the search committee. "The tremendous interest in this position, and the fact that we were able to attract someone as supremely qualified for the job as Dr. Aprille, attest the high esteem in which Washington and Lee is held by our peers throughout the country."
President Ruscio added that "we are deeply appreciative of Tom Williams' service during his time as provost. Students will benefit from his return to the classroom and I will benefit from his assistance as the key person in charge of implementing the strategic plan."
Aprille will assume her position on July 1, 2007.
