Experience working with former Provost John Strohbehn has helped acting Provost Bruce Pipes adjust to heading one of the most important and complex jobs in the vast College administration.
Last summer Pipes accepted the position of acting provost when Strohbehn stepped down to return to teaching and research. The provost is the College's top academic officer.
"I knew Strohbehn well, so the transition from associate provost to acting provost was easy, because we had discussed the majors issues," Pipes said.
Strohbehn said he agrees that Pipes had the experience to step up and head the office. "Pipes understands higher education," Strohbehn said. "He is a creative, day-to-day administrator who often contributed to issues that were not his direct responsibility."
Pipes will remain in this position until July 1994, when Lee Bollinger, dean of the University of Michigan's Law School, will take over as provost.
"The provost is essentially the number two person in the executive office at Dartmouth," said Economics Professor William Baldwin, chair of the committee that selected Bollinger. "Selecting a new provost was especially difficult, because we had four scholarly nominees for the position."
Pipes was one of the four final candidates for the post.
Pipes will be instrumental in easing Bollinger's transition to Dartmouth as provost.
"Lee Bollinger has visited Dartmouth several times, and we have discussed the issues of importance to the College," Pipes said.
In 1990, Pipes was selected to become the associate provost for academic affairs. His duties included campus planning, such as the remodeling of the new Collis Center and the building of Burke Laboratory, as well as drafting contracts for employees of the College and supervising computing services.
Pipes has been an administrator at Dartmouth since 1984, when he became the associate dean of the faculty for the sciences and dean of graduate studies.
Throughout his years in the administration, Pipes continued his teaching career in the physics department. This semester he teaches Physics 71, Quantum Mechanics I.
Pipes has been at Dartmouth since 1972, when he joined the faculty as an associate professor of physics. He has researched superconductivity, biomagnetism and experimental gravitation.
In 1985 Pipes received Dartmouth's Distinguished Teaching Award.
"Pipes uses a lively, interactive style of teaching," said Joseph Harris, chair of the physics department. "He shows concern for his students."
Pipes graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in physics from Rice University. He then went on to receive both a M.S. and a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University.
