Rice Names James L. Kinsey Interim Provost

Contact: Michael Berryhill
Phone: (713) 527-4943

Rice Names James L. Kinsey Interim Provost

James L. Kinsey, dean of Rice University’s Wiess School of
Natural Sciences, was named interim provost today by university
president Malcolm Gillis.

Kinsey, 58, will temporarily fill the post vacated by Neal Lane,
who is President Clinton’s nominee to become director of the
National Science Foundation. U.S. Senate confirmation hearings on
Lane’s nomination should be completed this fall, NSF officials said.

Gillis said Kinsey will handle the provost’s duties while the
university conducts a national search for a permanent replacement
for Lane. The search could take six months to a year to complete.

"Rice is extremely fortunate to have a strong academic
leadership team among our deans and vice presidents," Gillis said.
"From this group, I have asked Dean Kinsey to serve as interim
provost. His academic vision has always been focused on excellence
in teaching and research. And he commands the respect of his
colleagues in the faculty and in the Rice administration."

Gillis said Kinsey’s being named interim provost would not
eliminate him from consideration as a permanent replacement to Lane.
"Being interim provost is no bar to being considered for the
permanent appointment," Gillis said. "We will look carefully at all
candidates both inside and outside the university."

Kinsey came to Rice in 1988 as dean of the Wiess School after 25
years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a chemistry
professor. He also served as chairman of MIT’s chemistry department
for five years during his tenure.His appointment as interim provost came as a surprise last week,
Kinsey said.

"My hope and expectation had been that Neal Lane would stay here
a long time," he said. "Neal was so good at that job, that no matter
how well someone else does after he leaves, he will be a hard act to
follow."

The timing of Lane’s confirmation to the NSF post will determine
when Kinsey will assume the responsibilities of that office, Gillis
said.

During the next few weeks, Kinsey said he will work closely with
the president and outgoing provost to learn as much about the post’s
operations as possible.

"It will be very important for any person in the provost’s job
to understand the whole range of communities here at Rice," he said,
"and understand the priorities that exist on other parts of the
campus."

Kinsey, a physical chemist, is a fellow of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, as well as a member of the National Academy of
Science, the American Chemical Society and the American Physical
Society.

He has been a consultant to the Los Alamos National Laboratory
since 1974 and has served on many boards and committees in his
research field.

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