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Oct. 5, 2006 • Volume 15 Number 3
Kevin Bedell
Bedell Takes Research Post
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
Rourke Professor of Physics Kevin Bedell has been named to the newly created post of vice provost for research, Boston College Provost and Dean of Faculties Bert Garza announced.
Garza said Bedell's scholarly achievements, outstanding leadership of Physics and other administrative experiences made him an ideal choice for the new position.
"Professor Bedell brings the ideal combination of skilled researcher, experienced academic administrator, wonderful teacher and mentor, and unquestionable commitment to Boston College," Garza said. "I have every confidence that he'll be great for BC's research programs."
Garza added that the new position and the reorganization of which it is a part are designed to strengthen the ties between administrative support of research activities and the University's academic goals.
"Professor Bedell's record of accomplishment and experiences will serve this goal exceedingly well," he said.
Bedell has served as chair of the Physics Department since 1995. In that period the department has nearly doubled its faculty and boosted participation between its applied and theoretical physicists.
But perhaps more importantly, Bedell has helped the department bolster its research activities while adding to the number of undergraduates majoring in Physics - a trend he would like to see replicated across the University.
"Building up the BC's research side can be done without losing sight of the fact that we are an educational institution," Bedell said. "I've long believed that research and teaching is one activity, not two separate things.
"In Physics, for instance, we've focused on building the research side of the program while also increasing the number of undergraduates and the quality of our undergraduates," he added. "We did it, and I think others can do it."
In the new role of vice provost for research, Bedell will incorporate the responsibilities of Physics colleague Prof. Michael Naughton, who had served as interim associate vice president for research since Aug. 1 of last year. Naughton replaced Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael Smyer, who had been associate vice president for research for more than a decade.
Although Bedell will relinquish his chairmanship of the Physics Department, he will remain a faculty member and continue to contribute to the department through research and graduate student advising. A search is under way to replace Bedell as Physics chairman.
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