Carol Lynch, vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado at Boulder, today announced her resignation after 12 years in administration at CU-Boulder.
Effective Aug. 1, Lynch plans to return to the faculty on a part-time basis and serve as a faculty associate in Academic Affairs. She also will consult with national groups on issues of graduate education and research policy.
Chancellor Richard Byyny said Lynch has played a critical role in the success of the Boulder campus research mission. "Under Carol's leadership, our research activity has soared. As one example, she has helped to build an exceptional system of interdisciplinary research and education that is highly regarded nationwide. Carol will be greatly missed as an administrative leader, but we are delighted that the campus will continue to benefit from her wisdom and experience in the future," he said.
Lynch said the decision to resign was difficult. "My work at CU-Boulder has been a tremendous opportunity for which I'm deeply grateful. It has allowed me to become intellectually engaged in the enterprise of discovery and learning. I've been able to interact daily with extraordinary scholars and students."
But, she said, it is time for a change. "After 12 years, I think it will be helpful for somebody else to bring a fresh perspective to this position - and I look forward to making other contributions to the campus and to national policy issues."
Lynch said she viewed her role as a facilitator for "the work of our highly talented faculty. Their research output enhances the education of students, benefits the state and local economies, and improves the quality of life for our society."
During Lynch's tenure, federal research contracts and grants at CU-Boulder have more than doubled - from $117.7 million in 1992 to more than $250 million in 2003. Work by interdisciplinary institutes has accounted for a growing proportion of that total, now exceeding 50 percent of the campus's research effort.
Lynch said she is "proud of the caliber of work by CU-Boulder's research institutes, led by outstanding directors who are extraordinary scholars."
Provost Phil DiStefano said that Lynch has been largely responsible for the Boulder campus's reputation for innovation in graduate education. "Through her work with several national organizations, CU-Boulder now participates in every national initiative in graduate education, ranging from diversity to humanities to interdisciplinary studies."
He said Lynch was instrumental in establishing new degree programs and certificate programs, such as interdisciplinary doctorates, professional master's degrees, concurrent bachelor's/master's degrees and professional certificates. "Carol has been a key player in enhancing professional development for graduate students through career counseling, preparing future faculty and training in research integrity. She also has worked hard to make graduate students aware of and prepare for other careers outside of academia."
DiStefano noted that, in addition to working on fund-raising efforts for the Boulder campus, Lynch has set an example by making substantial financial gifts to support the campus.
Lynch joined the Boulder campus administration after nearly 20 years on the faculty at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she also served as dean of sciences. A behavioral geneticist, she was the program director in Population Biology and Physiological Ecology at the National Science Foundation before taking the administrative post at CU-Boulder in 1992.
She received her bachelor's degree in zoology from Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts, her master's in zoology from the University of Michigan and her doctorate in zoology from the University of Iowa.
She has received numerous awards for her research endeavors including a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health. She also is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is a past president of the Behavioral Genetics Association.
